MOROCCO, August 1 - Morocco and the United Kingdom are building thriving partnerships, including in trade, green finance and education, said the British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for South and Central Asia, North Africa, the UN and the Commonwealth, Lord Tariq Ahmad.

"Our kingdoms are working together to deliver a shared vision of economies that are innovative and focused on building a sustainable future, resilient to the global challenges we all face," Lord Ahmad said in a statement issued Thursday at the end of his visit to Morocco from July 25 to 27.

The British official praised "the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI and the vision of reform set out in Morocco's New Development Model, as well as Moroccan efforts to support growth, stability and adaptation to climate change in Africa.

"I look forward to strengthening our economic ties, particularly between our financial centers in the City of London and Casablanca, to seeing the continued return of British tourists to Morocco, and to hosting the first UK-Morocco Association Agreement sub-committee on trade in London later this month," he added.

During his visit to Morocco, Lord Ahmad met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, Abdellatif Miraoui, and the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, as well as the President of the House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami.

According to the statement, discussions focused on deepening collaboration between the UK and Morocco in the areas of trade, education, climate, clean energy and green growth, as well as regional and international issues of common interest, including the situation in Libya, and the global implications of the war in Ukraine on food and energy security.

Lord Tariq Ahmad also held talks with financial regulators, bankers and investors, to celebrate the growing cooperation between the UK and Morocco and to mobilize private funds to support a low-carbon transition, the same source added.

The statement further noted that he also met with key British companies, ahead of the first meeting of the Moroccan-British sub-committee on trade, as well as with representatives of the British University of Coventry, which will soon start delivering UK-accredited courses in business studies and engineering in Bouskoura.

The minister used the visit to meet with the secretary general of the Rabita Mohammadia des Oulémas, Ahmed Abbadi, and researchers from the Rabita to "better understand interfaith efforts and religious freedoms.

MAP 28 July 2022