The president of Mexico’s Business Coordinating Council (CCE), the country’s most influential employers’ federation, has reiterated the organization’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity during a high-level meeting in Mexico City.
Speaking with a delegation from the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), led by its president Chakib Alj, Francisco Cervantes Díaz expressed solidarity with Morocco’s sovereignty and called for deeper ties between the two countries.
“We strongly support Morocco’s territorial integrity,” Cervantes said, describing the North African country as “a key partner and a natural gateway for Mexico’s economic ambitions in Africa.”
Cervantes, a central figure in Latin America’s private sector, also underlined the opportunities for bilateral cooperation, stressing that Morocco already stands as Mexico’s second-largest trading partner in Africa.
The meeting, attended by Morocco’s ambassador to Mexico Abdelfattah Lebbar, highlighted the mutual interest of both sides in advancing economic, industrial, and trade relations.
This is not the first time Mexico’s top business body has spoken in support of Morocco. In February, the CCE issued a similar declaration backing Morocco’s territorial integrity while pledging to work toward stronger bilateral commercial links.
Cervantes described the latest meeting as “a continuation of a partnership anchored in trust, vision, and shared economic potential.”
The encounter came as part of a broader CGEM mission to Mexico, running from September 22 to 25, aimed at consolidating private sector cooperation between the two countries.
On Monday, CGEM and Mexico’s Confederation of Industrial Chambers (CONCAMIN) signed a memorandum of understanding in Mexico City to expand industrial collaboration and encourage joint projects.
CGEM president Chakib Alj framed the agreement as a “strategic step to unlock promising opportunities in trade and investment,” noting Morocco’s rapid industrial advances in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and food industries.
He pointed to Morocco’s modern infrastructure, political stability, and skilled workforce as incentives for Mexican investors. His counterpart, CONCAMIN president Alejandro Malagón Barragán, praised Morocco as a dynamic economy with strong assets to support long-term industrial partnerships.
Growing momentum in Latin America for Morocco’s sovereignty
Beyond the economic agenda, Mexico’s position on the Western Sahara has undergone a notable evolution. In February, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) – historically associated with Mexico’s recognition of the Polisario separatists in 1979 – formally shifted its stance, declaring support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.
PRI president Alejandro Moreno said the party was embracing a “new stage in international relations” aligned with Morocco’s Autonomy Plan and the realities of today’s multipolar world.
That shift built upon another major development earlier in 2025: the launch of the Mexican Observatory for Moroccan Sahara in Mexico City. Bringing together academics, political leaders, and intellectuals, the Observatory was created to advance understanding of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan and counter decades of Polisario-aligned narratives.
Its president, María Reyna Carretero, called the initiative “a hub for dialogue and bilateral relations,” underscoring the growing momentum in Latin America in favor of Morocco’s sovereignty.
Taken together, these political and business initiatives suggest a turning point in Moroccan-Mexican relations – one in which economic cooperation and diplomatic alignment increasingly converge around shared priorities, from trade and industrial collaboration to stability and development in Africa and the Americas.
MWN with MAP
