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Rabat – Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch has conveyed Morocco’s support for Somalia’s sovereignty over its territory during a meeting with his Somali counterpart Hamza Abdi Barre.
Akhannouch received the Somali Prime Minister today in Rabat to discuss bilateral ties between the two countries and ways to strengthen cooperation.
During the meeting, Akhannouch emphasized King Mohammed VI’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and cooperation between Morocco and Somalia. He also renewed Morocco’s continued support for “all efforts aimed at promoting peace, stability, and the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia over its territory, “ a statement from the Head of Government’s office said.
Akhannouch also conveyed Morocco’s appreciation for Somalia’s unwavering support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, particularly for its vote on Resolution 2797, which endorsed the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as a genuine political solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Somalia was among the 11 members that voted for the UN Security Council’s historic resolution on October 31.
Somalia’s Prime Minister said that his discussions with Akhannouch focused on strengthening bilateral ties and opening new prospects for economic and political cooperation between the two countries.
Barre is part of the high-level delegation that is taking part in the MEDays forum in Tangier.
According to Dwan Africa outlet, the Somalian Prime Minister proposed the launch of an African Atlantic Alliance for Maritime Security during his address at the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
For him, the alliance is important as the current system “could not be fully relied upon as it was ‘suffering from structural and functional dysfunction’” the Somali Prime Minister said.
Morocco and Somalia share good bilateral diplomatic ties. However, data from trade observers indicate that commercial exchanges from Somalia to Morocco remain limited.
Data compiled by Observatory of Economic Complexity shows that Moroccan exports to Somalia reached $317,000.
“In 2023, Morocco exported $317k to Somalia. The main products that Morocco exported to Somalia were Refined Petroleum ($177k), Packaged Medicaments ($75.1k), and Confectionery Sugar ($44.8k),” the data shows.
The website noted that exports from Morocco to Somalia increased at an annualized rate of 4.63% from $253,000 in 2018 to $317,000 in 2023.
Meanwhile, Somalia exported $587,000 worth of goods to Morocco. However, the website noted that the rate of goods from Somalia to the North African country has been on the decline.
“The main products that Somalia exported to Morocco were Insect Resins ($587k). Over the past 5 years, exports from Somalia to Morocco have decreased at an annualized rate of 0.0019%, decreasing from $587k in 2018 to $587k in 2023,” the same source said.
