Morocco, Colombia Reiterate Commitment to Continue Promoting Ties in Various Fields
Morocco and Colombia reiterated, Thursday in Rabat, their commitment to continue to promote and strengthen political, trade, energy, economic, cultural and academic relations.
In a joint statement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, and Colombia’s Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marta Lucia Ramirez, reaffirmed their commitment to continue to promote these relations, by exploring opportunities to strengthen bilateral trade and taking into account the complementarity and respective potential of the two countries.
In terms of economic and trade relations, they committed to seeking new mechanisms to expand and diversify trade and explore investment opportunities through the establishment of productive platforms that facilitate access to markets with their respective regions, urging Moroccan and Colombian experts to hold sectoral meetings, establishing a roadmap with priorities to that end, according to the Joint statement.
They also welcomed the convergence of views on many issues, both regional and international, and promised to increase cooperation and coordination in international and regional organizations, agreeing to collaborate in this regard to strengthen multilateral diplomacy and global forums in which both countries are active.
In the areas of cultural and educational cooperation, both sides agreed on the relevance of continuing to promote and expand them to various sectors of common interest, through academic activities and exchanges between academic institutions of both countries.
In addition, the two ministers agreed to expand their cultural collaboration by hosting exchanges between the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Bank of the Republic of Colombia’s Gold Museum.
They also decided to establish two integrated agriculture programs (irrigation systems, soil mapping, fertilizers, and so on) in two Colombian locations to be located on the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines as soon as possible.
The two ministers decided to create programs for the exchange of experiences and best practices in the sphere of social economy, with a focus on the participation of rural women.
Following the signing of the acts at the working meeting on April 6, 2021, the two parties exchanged notes on the entry into force of the Agreement on Visa Waiver for Holders of Ordinary Passports, which will result in a significant increase in human, tourism, economic, social, commercial, and academic exchanges between the two friendly countries.
Regarding Nasser Bourita’s request to undertake a professional and friendship visit to Colombia, the Minister stated that he intends to do so in 2022.
According to the joint statement, Marta Lucia Ramirez, Colombia’s Vice President and Minister of Foreign Relations, expressed delight with the progress made and mutual understanding, and appreciated the warm welcome and hospitality she received during her visit to the Kingdom of Morocco.
Marta Lucia Ramrez is visiting Morocco from October 28 to November 1, 2021, at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita.
This visit gave the chance to praise the excellent level of bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Colombia, as well as to reaffirm the shared willingness of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Excellency President Iván Duque Márquez to continue to consolidate the fruitful multidimensional association that fortunately exists between the two countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally, and especially as part of South-South cooperation.