Morocco and Portugal are determined to develop their cooperation on all aspects, in particular economic, commercial or cultural, said Friday, May 12, the head of government, Aziz Akhannouch.
The work of the Morocco-Portugal Economic Forum, in its 14th edition, opened on Friday, May 12 in Lisbon, under the theme “Morocco-Portugal: Together to build prosperous economies and common growth”. This new step intends to further strengthen the solid relations of friendship and good neighborliness that the two countries have enjoyed for several decades.
This high-level meeting chaired by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, and the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, reflects the will of the two countries to move forward by seizing the opportunities offered by their positions. geographical and geostrategic and their economic dynamism in order to strengthen cooperative relations and conclude fruitful partnerships.
During his speech, Akhannouch said that this event should be the starting point for exploiting the strengths of both countries and therefore co-constructing new value chains. The overriding objective is to develop modern, diversified, sustainable economies driven by competitive and job-creating sectors.
He also invited the operators of the two countries to seize the business opportunities while taking advantage of the many “complementarities of the economies of our two countries”. The head of government also did not fail to welcome the strong mobilization of the private and public sectors at this large-scale event.
As for the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, he highlighted the excellent relations as well as the close link between Morocco and Portugal, specifying that this meeting, in addition to the agreements and conventions which should be signed, represent an example of the deep strategic partnership that links the two countries.
This HLM will indeed be marked by the signing of a number of agreements in various strategic areas, including security, energy, tourism, maritime transport, training and scientific research.
” The potential of our economic relations is far from exhausted“, he underlined, calling on Moroccan and Portuguese companies to further consolidate their cooperation, to promote the diversification of trade while identifying new business opportunities.
For his part, the Minister Delegate in charge of Investment, Convergence and the Evaluation of Public Policies, Mohcine Jazouli, indicated that ” we have therefore decided to revitalize the Observatory of Portuguese investments in Morocco and Moroccan investments in Portugal, created in 2015“. The opportunities between the two countries will be able to be anchored in this real momentum, which will pave the way for shared prosperity” , he added.
In addition, the Economic Forum has scheduled a plenary session and three panels dedicated to the automotive, textile, food and pharmaceutical industries, the contribution of energy and the environment to industrial and economic sustainability, and to role of digital transformation in the public and private sectors, as well as business meetings (B2B).