Laayoune and Hollywood (Florida) sign twinning agreement to boost cooperation
Laayoune and the American city of Hollywood (Florida) have signed a twinning agreement in order to strengthen bilateral partnership ties in economic, cultural, educational and tourism.
This treaty was signed at the headquarters of the municipality of Laayoune by the president of the municipal council, Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid, and the mayor of Hollywood, Josh Levy. Also present at the ceremony were the governor of the province of Laayoune, Abdeslam Bekrate, as well as authorities from both localities.
According to both parties, this twinning will open up promising new perspectives for the consolidation of the partnership in different sectors such as the environment, the arts, academic research and sustainable development. The two cities will also share expertise.
This twinning agreement will offer the Moroccan Saharan capital international influence and cooperation opportunities that will boost its socio-economic development, while also "initiating a closer relationship between the two localities on an economic and cultural level," according to Levy.
The Hollywood mayor acknowledged being "impressed" by the quality of Laayoune's educational, sporting, socio-economic and health investments and infrastructures, praising the efforts made by the Regional Council and the Communal Council of the Moroccan city. Levy also expressed his desire to further strengthen bilateral ties through the exchange of visits of delegations from the two cities.
Levy stressed that the two cities have similar interests and complementary sectors, citing aviation, agriculture and education. In this regard, he called for close cooperation between Hollywood and Laayoune companies in order to take advantage of investment opportunities in both cities.
For his part, Ould Errachid stressed that this agreement, which comes after Washington's decision to recognise Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara, aims to deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields. Like Levy, he also expressed his willingness to establish mutually beneficial relations in all sectors of common interest with the American city.
The signing was followed by the screening of an institutional film highlighting the potential and assets of the two cities. Similarly, the members of the delegation attended a presentation on the development programme of the municipality of Laayoune which outlined the various projects inscribed in the framework of the new model of the southern provinces launched by HM King Mohammed VI in 2015.
It is worth noting that the US delegation visited the Regional Investment Centre, where they attended presentations on the socio-economic potential, the various completed and ongoing projects and investment opportunities in the region. During their stay in Laayoune, the Americans were able to see at first hand the efforts made to ensure a comprehensive and integrated development of the region.
They visited the women's municipal club, the Olympic swimming pool and the sports village, as well as projects related to the construction of the Faculty of Medicine, the City of Crafts and Skills and the University Hospital, in addition to the African Institute for Sustainable Agricultural Research and the phosphate port of Foum El Oued.