Global Arab Network | £1 billion trade exchange – Another milestone strengthening Morocco, UK ties

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£1 billion trade exchange – Another milestone strengthening Morocco, UK ties

Global Arab Network - - Maha Karim

Monday, 21 June 2010 23:22

Morocco_at_Heart_of_British_Operators_Agenda_Moroccan_Diplomat

London - Morocco has become at the heart of the British operators' agenda as a true partner, a country that is open to business and a hub in the Mediterranean region, Morocco's ambassador to Britain, Chrifa Lalla Joumala Alaoui, said in London.

"Our commitment to reinforcing our standing on the United Kingdom's economic scene has put Morocco at the heart of the British operators' agenda as the kingdom represents a true partner that is open to businesses and a hub in the Mediterranean region," the Moroccan diplomat underlined at the opening of the first day on Moroccan-British trade, held in London.

WELCOME ADDRESS BY HH PRINCESS LALLA JOUMALA ALAOUI:

Today’s event represents yet another milestone in the consolidation of the ties between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom. It offers us the opportunity to explore new avenues of cooperation, which will, in turn, bring us closer to the attainment of a strong and sustainable strategic partnership.

Firstly, our Governments have established several institutional mechanisms to enable our senior officials to exchange views and engage in a regular dialogue on political and economic issues of mutual interest.

During the last session of our Bilateral Trade talks in January 2010, Morocco and the UK proposed concrete actions with regards to sectors such as textiles, agro-business, aeronautics and automobile, to name but a few. Moreover, number of recommendations discussed during the last Ministerial Forum’s are being implemented.

Morocco has in the past 18 months, organized in London a number of events covering areas such as agriculture, energy, textiles, investments with the intention of not only showcasing the potential and the real opportunities but also to reinforce and broaden the scope of our economic activities and the areas of cooperation.

In this regards, I would like to inform you that Morocco will be participating in the Farnborough air show next month where sessions on ‘How to do business in Morocco’ will be conducted.

It is fair to say that the combination of these actions, and our commitment to improve our position in the UK on the economic scene, has placed Morocco on the agenda of British operators as a genuine partner, a business friendly country, and a hub in the Mediterranean from which to reach out to the four corners of the world.

Our bilateral commercial exchanges have exceeded 1 billion Pounds bar in 2008, two thirds of which represent imports by Morocco from Great Britain.

According to these figures, Great Britain is Morocco’s 7th client worldwide and its 9th supplier, but more importantly, Morocco is also UK’s first partner in the Maghreb.

It is our firm belief that our relation holds the potential for greater cooperation, which can only be boosted by Morocco’s commitment to trade liberalisation and modernisation, as illustrated by the signing of numerous Free Trade Agreements, massive improvements of port infrastructure and an attractiveness rarely seen in the region.

A number of Free trade agreements not only with Europe, the USA, Turkey but also between Morocco, Tunisia Egypt and Jordan, are shaping Morocco into a platform for production and export, which offers access to an area of more than one billion three hundred million customers.

Dedicated industrial zones have been created such as Casa Near Shore Centre, Rabat Shore for call centres, Kenitra and Tangier automotive cities for car components, Casa Aeropole for aeronautics...

The Tangier Mediterranean Port Complex includes a deep-sea harbour, logistics platforms, integrated industry platforms, industrial and commercial free zones, infrastructure with rail and highways links. It is being extended to reach a capacity of 8.5 million containers a year with a perfect geographical location for intercontinental transhipments.

Morocco is a land of investment and business opportunities.

I hope that today’s conference will present an additional step in further strengthening the trade links between our countries and our business communities.

To this end, the Moroccan Government, The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in London, and the various Moroccan promotion agencies such as Maroc Export shall spare no effort in offering you their support, help and advice .
I would like to conclude by taking this opportunity in thanking and congratulating Mr `Saad Benabdallah Chief Executive of Maroc Export, his team and all those involved in organising today and for all their efforts in making today a success.

Global Arab Network

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 00:16

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