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Rabat – The High-Level Morocco-Spain Meeting opened today in Rabat with the Spanish-Moroccan Economic Forum, convening senior officials and business leaders from both countries.
Speaking at the opening of the economic forum on Wednesday, president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Entreprises (CGEM), Chakib Alj said: “This is much more than a forum. These are reunions of friends, neighbors and long-time partners.”
He also commended the common will and ambition to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Alj shared data about the two countries’ bilateral trade, describing Spain as Morocco’s leading trading partner for over 10 years.
“Our trade amounted to around 117 billion euros in 2021, despite a difficult economic situation, and is constantly on the rise with double-digit annual growth rates,” he said.
The official also recalled the growing number of Spanish companies that have commercial ties with Morocco. The number of companies doing business with the North African country stands at 17,000, he said, adding that almost 800 of these Spanish companies are operating in Morocco.
Commending the depth of economic ties between the two countries, Alj described cooperation between Rabat and Madrid as “complementary,” but called for a “renovated” partnership in other sectors – including energy transition, food security and green hydrogen.
Echoing Alj’s sentiments, the representative of the Spanish government at the forum also expressed satisfaction with his country’s cooperation with Morocco.
Foreign Affairs Minister o Jose Manuel Albares, who is part of the Spanish delegation taking part in the 12th Morocco-Spain high-level meeting in Rabat, especially emphasized Morocco’s importance for the European Union and hailed the country’s fundamental role in preserving the stability of the Euro-Mediterranean area.
“Morocco is a first-rate partner for the European Union,” he argued. “The Kingdom is a fundamental country for the stability of the Euro-Mediterranean space that we share between Europe and Africa and Europe and the Maghreb.”
According to Albares, Morocco is an essential and reliable ally for both Spain and the EU on a broad range of critical issues.
