Helsinki – Morocco and Finland stressed that their bilateral relations are excellent and beneficial for both countries, reaffirming their shared willingness to further strengthen and expand them.
During a meeting held in Helsinki on Tuesday between Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland, Elina Valtonen, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, who is on a working visit to Finland, the two parties expressed their resolve to strengthen economic and trade relations between their countries to reach their full potential.
Theys also convened to expand their annual political consultations to include economic and business interests. Thus, the two Ministers agreed to plan to hold a business seminar in 2025 to encourage cooperation between the economic actors of both countries.
Several key sectors offering mutual benefits were identified, including digitalization, particularly in terms of cybersecurity and the deployment of secure 5G networks, wh
ich has been defined as a priority.
Both countries underlined the importance of secure networks for national security and as a factor for investment decisions for developing trust based digital economy.
The Ministers also recalled the important agreed framework of their bilateral relations, including the two Memorandums of Understanding signed between Finland and Morocco in the fields of renewable energies and integrated water resources, welcoming the concrete steps for their continued implementation.
In the water sector, Finland is well positioned to offer expertise in water-related technologies and smart solutions, in line with Morocco’s priorities. In this respect, the two Ministers agreed to encourage experts to explore new potential areas of common interest.
The two Ministers took note of both countries’ ambitious renewable energy targets and identified solutions to support the green transition, including through green hydrogen, as a key area for future collaboration.
They also noted healthcare and
well-being technologies as prominent areas of partnership especially in light of the current health sector reforms in Morocco.
Morocco’s important role in the EU-Africa partnership as a whole, as well as in enhancing regional cooperation and stability in the region, fight against terrorism and cooperation on cross-border migration management, was recognized.
Morocco also expressed its appreciation for Finland’s Africa Strategy, and its willingness to contribute to its implementation at the bilateral level as well as through tripartite cooperation with African countries.
The two countries pledged to uphold and further deepen their collaboration in multilateral fora such as the UN, notably within the UN Human Rights Council, which Morocco chairs for the year 2024, and of which Finland is vice-chair.
The meeting, which coincided with the 65th anniversary of Finnish-Moroccan diplomatic relations, enabled the two ministers to exchange views on a number of topical international and bilateral issues.
The Helsin
ki talks between the two Ministers mark a significant step forward in the strengthening of bilateral relations between Finland and Morocco, marked in the first half of this year by a visit to Rabat by the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, and sectoral ministerial meetings in the water and energy sectors.
Source : Agence Marocaine De Presse