Morocco and Turkey boost maritime cooperation

With the aim of strengthening bilateral ties and boosting maritime development, Turkey has pledged to share its extensive maritime expertise with Morocco.  

This was announced by the Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, during a meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Mohamed Abdeljalil, this week.   

This meeting took place on the sidelines of the International Transport Forum (ITF) 2024 Summit and highlighted the excellent relations between the two countries in the transport and logistics sectors. In this regard, both ministers expressed their desire to further intensify this partnership. 

Minister Uraloglu highlighted Turkey's extensive experience in port development and the management of a commercial maritime fleet, expressing Turkey's readiness to assist Morocco, Morocco World News reports.  

This support is in line with King Mohammed VI's vision to develop Morocco's national maritime fleet, a project aimed at strengthening the country's maritime capabilities. 

As for road transport, Minister Abdeljalil conveyed Morocco's interest in Turkey's experience with digital tachographs used in the transport of goods and passengers. 

For his part, Minister Uraloglu highlighted the successful implementation of these digital systems in Turkey and assured Morocco of Turkey's willingness to share its know-how.  

Road safety was another crucial topic of discussion, and the two ministers agreed to exchange experiences and knowledge in order to improve safety measures in their respective countries.

Minister Abdeljalil also invited his Turkish counterpart to participate in the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, to be held in Marrakech from 18 to 20 February 2025. 

The diplomatic relationship between Morocco and Turkey, spanning more than six decades, has been based on mutual respect and commitment to territorial integrity. These strong ties have undergone significant developments, especially since the signing of a free trade agreement in 2004. The pact, which entered into force in 2006, has boosted trade exchanges, reaching a remarkable growth rate of 14%. 

In 2018, Moroccan imports from Turkey soared to more than 21.5 billion dirhams, while Moroccan exports to Turkey reached 5.54 billion dirhams.