Rabat – The UAE and Morocco have strengthened diplomatic ties in recent years, with the constantly evolving partnership reflecting on the volume of trade between the two countries.
New data shared by the Emirati Minister of Economy Abdulah bin Touq Al Marri shows that trade between Abu Dhabi and Rabat increased by 16% in 2022 compared to 2021, reaching $1 billion.
“Economic and trade cooperation is one of the main pillars of the bilateral and fraternal relations that unite the two countries,” the UAE official said during a ministerial session of the Moroccan-Emirati joint Economic Commission held in Rabat on Thursday.
The data shows the UAE as Morocco’s second Arab trading partner in 2021; it also puts the Gulf country among Morocco’s top 20 trading partners worldwide.
The news comes as the UAE continues to feature among the growing list of countries that invest in several sectors in the North African country.
The Gulf nation tops the list of Arab countries investing in Morocco, Al Mari said.
The UAE invests in several sectors in Morocco, including telecommunications, agriculture, hospitality, tourism, and real estate, among other industries.
Morocco’s investment in the UAE grew in recent years, reaching $79 million at the end of 2020.
Moroccan investments in the Emirati economy concern several sectors, including real estate, financial services, and wholesale.
In addition to a growing trade volume, the UAE and Morocco share good diplomatic relations marked by exchange of visits and dialogue.
The UAE is also part of the countries that support Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in the Western Sahara region, with the Gulf country having described the Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible route toward a lasting political solution to the Sahara dispute.
In 2020, the UAE opened a consulate general in Laayoune, southern Morocco, cementing its recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the region.
The UAE was the first Arab country to open diplomatic representation in the country’s southern provinces, and King Mohammed VI described the move as a “historic” decision that reflected the UAE’s long-standing support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
