Rabat – Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita held a joint press conference today with his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne, with the pair discussing key issues trade relations between Morocco and the European Union.
The joint press conference was significant as it signaled increased diplomatic engagement between the two nations and marked Minister Sejourne‘s first visit to Morocco.
Bourita shed light on a pressing issue plaguing Moroccan exports, particularly agricultural products, in European markets. He lamented the interception of products originating from southern Morocco before reaching their intended destinations in Europe, despite the fact that the EU has a substantial trade surplus with Morocco, amounting to some 600 million euros.
The top Moroccan diplomat also underscored the significant volume of goods the EU exports to Morocco, including food items and other commodities, and questioned the rationale behind the boycott and defamation campaigns facing Moroccan experts in some EU countries.
Bourita reiterated the fairness and balance of the trade agreements between Morocco and the EU, emphasizing their mutual benefits and the need for constructive cooperation.
He commented on recent protests by European farmers against Moroccan products, expressing dismay at the unfounded accusations of inferior quality that Spanish farmers have been making against Moroccan exports.
In addition, he condemned acts of vandalism against Moroccan trucks and the destruction of Moroccan produce by protesting farmers, labeling such actions as unjust and detrimental to bilateral relations.
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Of the persistent challenges in the Mediterranean region, the chief of Moroccan diplomacy emphasized the pressing need for joint efforts by Morocco and France to address these issues.
Bourita concluded by stressing the importance of diplomatic cooperation in achieving common goals and expressed optimism for improved cooperation and concerted efforts to address the challenges facing the Mediterranean region.
For his part, the French Foreign Minister reiterated his country’s commitment to respecting the EU’s trade agreements with Morocco, while stressing the need for Paris and Rabat to forge a new partnership of trust and mutual friendship.
At the end of their joint press conference, both Bourita and Sejourne appeared to urge Moroccan and French leaders to join forces to address agricultural trade imbalances and chart a course for stability in the Mediterranean.
This comes as France and Morocco signal their willingness to repair their diplomatic relations after years of tension due to divergences and sometimes open hostilities on a wide range of issues of the highest strategic importance.
With the critical question of Western Sahara having been at the center of growing tensions between France and Morocco, Paris in particular has expressed its desire to “open a new page” with Rabat.
But observers have questioned whether Sejourne’s recent visit to Rabat and his lukewarm, ambiguous comments on the Sahara dispute was nearly enough to convince Morocco to embrace France’s offer of “reconciliation.”
