Kazakh Foreign Minister Pays First Official Visit to Morocco, деп хабарлайды DKnews.kz.
Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu arrived in Rabat with the first official visit in the history of bilateral relations at the invitation of Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco.
During the talks, the sides discussed the current state and prospects for the development of bilateral interaction, including the intensification of political dialogue, strengthening trade, economic and investment ties, as well as expanding contacts in the cultural and humanitarian sphere.
Significant potential for deepening partnership in sectors such as energy, transportation, agriculture, digital technologies, innovations, education, and tourism was noted. In this regard, the sides expressed their readiness to further improve the legal framework and continue the practice of exchange visits at various levels.
“Kazakhstan sees Morocco as an important and close partner in the Middle East and North Africa region. For more than 30 years of diplomatic relations, we have managed to build meaningful political dialogue based on common values, as well as establish constructive inter-parliamentary cooperation,” – stated the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.
In turn, Minister Bourita emphasized the leading role of Kazakhstan in the Central Asian region and assured of his country's firm intention to qualitatively strengthen multifaceted interaction on a wide range of issues. The Moroccan minister noted that he considers Morocco and Kazakhstan as gateways to North Africa and Central Asia, respectively.
The interlocutors emphasized the significant growth of trade turnover between the two countries, which last year increased by 70% and reached 274 million US dollars. In this case, the Kazakh Foreign Minister noted that Kazakhstan has good opportunities to increase the supply of products with high added value in Morocco. This includes expanding exports of 25 key commodity items worth 130 million US dollars, comprising finished petrochemical products, metallurgical products, and food products.
Minister Nurtleu also noted that the Agreement on a visa-free regime will come into force soon, making Morocco the first country in Africa with which a bilateral visa-free regime is established. This will create new opportunities for the development of business ties and expansion of contacts between citizens.
Special attention was paid to the issues of food security. The head of the Kazakh delegation expressed gratitude to Morocco for its interest in the activities of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) and stressed the importance of early ratification of its Charter and invited to participate at a high level in the 7th General Assembly of the IOFS, which will be held this year in Astana.
The parties also discussed the upcoming Astana International Forum, which will be held in May, which will unite the efforts of the world community in addressing current challenges. In addition, they discussed preparations for the 8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions scheduled for this year, where Kazakhstan expects Morocco to participate at a high level.
The topic of digitalization also took an important place in the discussions. The Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan expressed the interest of our country in cooperation with Morocco in the framework of the program “Digital Morocco 2030”, aimed at the development of the digital economy, and informed about the readiness of Kazakh IT-companies to offer pilot projects in the field of e-government, innovative IT-solutions and cybersecurity.
The ministers emphasized the importance of strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties, noting the successful concert of the Academic Philharmonic of Astana and the Grand Orchestra of Rabat, which aroused great interest among the Moroccan public.
In the sphere of tourism, significant potential was noted and in order to further develop tourism cooperation, the parties agreed to finalize the Agreement on air communication in 2025 and consider the possibility of launching direct flights.
Following the talks, the sides confirmed the mutual desire to further strengthen Kazakh-Moroccan relations in political, economic and humanitarian spheres. The ministers also adopted a Joint Communiqué, which reflects the decision to create working groups to expand cooperation in key areas.
Within the framework of the visit, the Kazakh delegation headed by Minister Nurtleu also visited the Mausoleum of Sultan and the first King Mohammed V (1909-1961). The majestic building, which houses the tomb of the monarch and his two sons, is located in the center of Rabat, not far from the famous Hassan Tower. The Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan laid a wreath and left an entry in the book of honorary guests.
