Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and his Mauritian counterpart Alan Ganoo expressed a shared desire to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Their statements were made during a videoconference.
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Residing Abroad Nasser Bourita and Mauritius Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and International Trade Alan Ganoo agreed on January 14 to initiate dynamic sectoral cooperation and promote a multi-dimensional partnership, a press release stated.
Bourita and Ganoo urged their countries’ ministers to review the progress of previous agreements and identify potential joint projects in health care, renewable energies, information technology, and other key sectors, it said.
The release reported that Bourita and Ganoo expressed interest for cooperation in the maritime sector, covering the development of port infrastructures, renewable marine energies, and maritime transportation among other points. Additionally, both countries encouraged economic operators to multiply investment and trade.
Along with bilateral cooperation, Morocco and Mauritius committed to multilateral cooperation. The two countries aim to cooperate on several issues at the regional and continental levels, such as climate change and COVID-19.
The ministers also agreed to mutually support each others’ candidatures regionally and internationally, the statement added.
The Mauritian minister praised Morocco’s efforts in the fight against Covid-19 stressing that the production of the vaccine in Morocco is crucial in the fight against the pandemic across the African continent.
While Morocco and Mauritius plan to strengthen and expand their bilateral cooperation, the two countries are currently trading in sectors such as energy and textiles.
In 2019, 95% of Mauritius imports were duty-free imports originating from Morocco ($8.78 million), Cameroon ($3.75 million), and the Ivory Coast ($2.13 million).
Morocco exported processed fish ($5.08 million), petroleum gas ($1.3 million), and medication ($544,000) to Mauritius, according to 2019 data by the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)
Based on the same source, Moroccan imports from Mauritius reached $747,000 in 2019. The imports included mixed woven cotton ($272,000), pure woven cotton ($210,000), and rubberized knitted fabric ($65,500).
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