MOROCCO AND PANAMA COOPERATION
Rabat – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, Mr. Nasser Bourita, and his counterpart from the Republic of Panama, Mr. Javier Eduardo Martinez-Acha Vasquez, affirmed, Wednesday, the desire of Morocco and Panama to give new impetus to bilateral cooperation.
This new phase is part of the revitalization of relations between Morocco and Panama following the Royal Message addressed to the President of the Republic of Panama, SEM. José Raul Mulino, after his country’s decision to suspend all recognition of the pseudo “SADR” and in favor of the Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI for south-south, united and active cooperation.
In this context, the two parties underlined, during a video conference, the importance of strengthening the legal framework for bilateral cooperation and activating the political consultation mechanism between the foreign ministries of the two countries.
They also expressed, in a Joint Declaration, the desire to increase bilateral trade and develop a dynamic economic partnership based on trade and investment.
In this sense, the two ministers agreed to promote the exchange of experiences in various areas of common interest and to consolidate bilateral cooperation in sectors such as green development, energy transition, diversification of the energy matrix, agriculture and food security, fishing, water resources management, tourism, health, port infrastructure, technical cooperation, higher education, academic and professional training, cultural cooperation and migration, among others.
Furthermore, the two officials highlighted the potential for bilateral cooperation offered by the positioning of Morocco and Panama as important air, maritime and land logistics hubs respectively for Africa and for Latin America and the Caribbean.
While highlighting the pioneering Royal project of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), thanks to the proximity policy advocated by HM King Mohammed VI, the Panamanian side expressed the wish to draw inspiration from the Moroccan experience in promoting the conditions of citizens and social development.
The two ministers also exchanged views on regional and international terrorist threats and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism, transnational organized crime and illegal immigration.
Finally, they agreed to the signing of a Cooperation Road Map to structure, in an operational and concrete manner, the axes and activities of cooperation.