Rabat – UK ambassador to Morocco Simon Martin expressed optimism for the future of relations between the two countries under the reign of King Charles III.

This year marks the 300th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations between Morocco and the UK, which continue to express determination to boost cooperation in all fields, particularly trade.

In an interview with Morocco World News, Martin reminisced on the reign of late Queen Elizabeth II and recalled her ties with Morocco, expressing hope for the future of cooperation between the two kingdoms.

Reminiscing on the past

“She was always a friend of Morocco,” Martin said about the late Queen Elizabeth II, recalling her visit to the country in 1980.

“I can’t tell you how many people I and my colleagues have met over the last days coming to pay their condolences to the queen.”

During that visit, the Queen planted a Jacaranda tree in the garden of the ambassador’s residence, Martin recalled. That same tree saw a one-minute silence held on September 18 in her memory.

“There are other more personal memories that people have,” the ambassador continued. “For example, most people believe it’s the only time Her Majesty has ever been photographed eating with her hands.”

For the ambassador, the connection between Queen Elizabeth and the late King Hassan II didn’t only signify the ties between Morocco and Britain, or the two kingdoms’ people, but were also a sign of close relations between the royal families themselves.

After 70 years of rule, during which she became Britain’s longest ever reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, sending a shockwave throughout Britain and the world.

Following her passing, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI sent his condolences to Britain’s King Charles III, calling her a “special great friend” of Morocco.

On Monday, September 19, Morocco’s Prince Moulay Rachid attended the queen’s funeral representing Morocco, being one of the hundreds of world leaders who were invited to the event.

Looking to the future

Shortly following Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, King Charles III formally took the throne, with many pointing to his history with the Middle East and Arab Islamic culture as a sign that relations with the region will only get better under his reign.

Simon Martin sees a brighter future for the Moroccan-British relations under the new King’s reign.

“He [King Charles] and our Queen Consort are very familiar with Morocco and there’s already a very warm relationship with His Majesty King Mohammed VI and other members of the royal family,” he said, mentioning that the two have already been on visits to the country.

Cooperation between the two countries is on an upwards trajectory, Martin said, highlighting the new King’s passion for and interest in the region’s culture as an advantage.

He recalled the new monarch’s advocacy for creating the Oxford Center of Islamic Studies.

“This has received really strong support from Morocco and the Moroccan Royal Family,” he added, before talking about the Moroccan garden in the center. “It’s a small piece of Morocco in this really valuable and important institute.”

Speaking of cooperation between the two countries, Martin expressed satisfaction with the current state of relations, but also mentioned that there is considerable potential for greater cooperation.

Trade between the UK and Morocco has been going up, especially as Morocco has been trying to vary its partnerships, and as the UK searches for more partners outside the EU.

“We’re also seeing a great deal of interest now that the UK is an independent trading nation among Moroccan companies to do business with the UK,” the ambassador detailed. “There is investment going in both directions, trade is on the increase.”

In 2021, electrical equipment constituted Morocco’s top export to the UK, coming in at a value of $271 million (MAD 3 billion). Fruits and vegetables come second, followed by vehicles. Fertilizers, meat, and apparel were also among the top exports, according to numbers from Trading Economics.

Agriculture, renewable energies, and the automotive industry, all of which are important for Morocco’s economy, were cited as the sectors experiencing the most improvement.

In September, British farmers expressed interest in moving their production into Morocco and other African nations as costs keep rising in their home country. Moroccan agricultural exports to the UK have also considerably increased following Brexit.

Seeking to diversify its energy sources, the UK is also set to start importing green energy from the North African Kingdom, through the ambitious Xlinks submarine power cable project.

Advancing tourism

Morocco and the UK are also exploring means to advance tourism cooperation.

Emphasizing the importance of the industry, Martin told MWN that “the numbers of visitors [British visitors] are going up, flights are going up,” adding that the number of British tourists visiting Morocco has been recovering following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The tourist industry around Marrakech in particular has been happy for that,”he said

More tourists have been entering Morocco this year as the North African country continued easing its travel restrictions. Many Moroccan cities have been emerging in global rankings as some of the best-value destinations.

Boosting military, education cooperation

The UK and Morocco are looking forward to expanding ties in different other fields, including defense.

“There are plenty of other areas in which this is happening…We have a really important joint military exercise due to take place, involving both the army and air force,” Martin said.

The exercise is set to take place next month, in addition to a joint naval exercise currently taking place.

Education is also emerging as another key area of cooperation between Britain and Morocco, as Martin states that there are more than a 1,000 Moroccan students now pursuing their studies at British universities for the first time.

Morocco’s youth has been gradually adopting English as their second language of choice, leading to the prominence of English language teaching over the past years. As a result more students are aiming to study in Britain or the US over France, which was the go-to choice for decades.

Amid this transition, and Morocco’s seeming ambition to grow closer to its anglophone allies, the UK has been one of the countries eager to take advantage of the rising prevalence of English.