Karima Benyaich invita a los empresarios a participar en la nueva etapa de cooperación entre España y Marruecos
Businessmen are important economic agents in order to collaborate in the development of the new roadmap established between Morocco and Spain after the meeting that took place in Rabat between the Moroccan King Mohammed VI and the Spanish President Pedro Sánchez in April this year during the last Ramadan. A meeting that signified an act of friendship and closeness on the part of the Alaouite monarch to deepen Spanish-Moroccan relations after the Spanish government recognised the Alaouite proposal for broad autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty as the most 'credible, serious and realistic' way to resolve the Sahrawi conflict, also taking into account the postulates of the United Nations (UN).
This invitation from the Moroccan ambassador to businessmen to take part in this new positive diplomatic dynamic between the two countries came during the presentation on Wednesday of the new Morocco-Spain Economic Council (CEMAES) in Madrid. "This new stage offers us the opportunity to write a new page of our relations in which the role of businessmen can be a lever in favour of our bilateral relationship," said the ambassador during the event.
The new path initiated by Mohammed VI and Pedro Sánchez after the meeting in Rabat on 7 April offers businessmen and political actors from both countries the opportunity to play a "lever role" to boost the bilateral relationship between the two countries, as the Moroccan ambassador to Spain explained. "This new stage offers us the opportunity to write a new page of our relations in which the role of businessmen can be a lever in favour of our bilateral relationship", said Benyaich, during the presentation ceremony of CEMAES, as reported by the media Rue20.
The Moroccan ambassador recalled that CEMAES represents precisely the "will of Moroccan and Spanish employers' associations to promote a better understanding of the opportunities offered by Morocco and Spain in the economic field".
Karima Benyaich also mentioned the current difficult scenario marked by the complicated global economic situation and the energy and food crisis, aggravated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as elements that make it necessary to reconfigure collaboration mechanisms and take advantage of positive elements such as the proximity and good neighbourliness between Morocco and Spain.
In this context, the Kingdom offers great opportunities for Spanish investors thanks to the political, economic and social reforms carried out under the reign of Mohammed VI, and this can generate a positive dynamic to help face the current challenges. The Alawi kingdom is making progress in various sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, industry, automotive, logistics, construction, energy, etc., and this opens up important options for direct Spanish investment.
Morocco is also an extremely valuable gateway to Africa, as it is the leading investor in West Africa and the second largest in the entire continent, making the kingdom a very attractive country in economic terms, as was made clear at the CEMAES presentation event, which was attended by the President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE), Antonio Garamendi, the co-presidents of CEMAES, Adil Rais and Clemente González, as well as representatives of the Spanish Ministries of Industry, Trade and Tourism, and Foreign Affairs, and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM).
The clear relevance of the link between Spain and Morocco is borne out by many facts and figures. For example, the Spanish nation has confirmed itself in recent years as the Alawi kingdom's leading trading partner, with up to 17 billion euros in trade exchanges in 2021, a historic level despite the pandemic. Meanwhile, the North African country is the third largest destination for Spanish exports outside the European Union and the largest market in Africa. In addition, Karima Benyaich recalled that there are more than 800 Spanish companies established in Morocco and more than 20,000 companies with commercial relations with the Kingdom.