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Rabat – Morocco’s deputy speaker of the House of Representatives Zaina Idhali held a meeting in London with the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Gerard Hargreaves to discuss new prospects for cooperation.
During the meeting, which was also attended by the Moroccan Ambassador to the United Kingdom Hakim Hajoui, Idhali discussed Moroccans residing abroad and their pivotal role to promote the country.
Idhali underlined that she believes that parallel diplomacy can contribute to establishing several cooperation opportunities between Morocco and the UK.
“This visit aims to strengthen Morocco-UK relations, and in particular within the Royal Borough which has more than 12,000 Moroccans,” the Moroccan parliamentarian noted, quoted by Morocco’s state press agency.
She emphasized the special recognition Morocco gives to its community living abroad, noting that the kingdom is “grateful for the role they have played during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Idhali highlighted that the World Bank forecasted an 8% drop in global remittances during the crisis, yet remittances from Moroccan expatriates continued their upward trend throughout the pandemic.
Remittances from Moroccans residing abroad reached MAD 100 billion ($10.8 billion) in 2021.
A recent report from the World Bank suggested that the flow of remittances in 2021 represented 7.4% of Morocco’s economy.
Meanwhile, Councilor Hargreaves welcomed the dynamism of the Moroccan community in the borough, stressing the need to “deepen relations with the Moroccan parliament and the Embassy of the Kingdom in the UK.”
In 2021, Morocco and the UK celebrated 300 years of bilateral ties.
As the celebration campaign came to an end last month, The British Embassy in Morocco and the department of Water and Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture planted 300 trees in the Maamoura forest, near Kenitra.
The long-standing relations between Morocco and the UK have witnessed a boost in recent years. The two countries now aim to further expand trade and investment projects as well as fostering political and diplomacy dialogue.
