Assahafa.com
Morocco and Spain signed on Thursday in Madrid, several cooperation agreements in areas of foreign policy, economics, justice, transportation, agriculture and maritime fishing, education and scientific research, sports, and sustainable mobility.
These agreements were signed during the 13th High-Level Meeting, co-chaired by the heads of government of both countries, Aziz Akhannouch and Pedro Sanchez, attended by several ministers.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on feminist foreign policy was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita, and the Spanish minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.
This MoU aims to promote dialogue, exchange of experiences, and mutual learning in order to strengthen the integration of gender equality into all foreign policies of both countries.
Bourita and Albares also signed a MoU between the Moroccan Institute for Training, Research, and Diplomatic Studies and the Spanish Diplomatic School, aimed at promoting partnership between the two institutions and establishing a sustainable framework for cooperation in the training of young diplomats and the exchange of expertise in diplomacy and international relations.
The two officials then inked a MoU on the mobility of young diplomats, providing for the establishment of training mobility programs for young diplomats from both countries to acquire in-depth knowledge of public policies and strategic issues in Morocco and Spain.
In the institutional sphere, a Declaration of Intent was initialed between the General Secretariat of the Government of Morocco and the Spanish Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Parliamentary Relations with the aim of supporting the modernization of the Official Printing Office.
This cooperation will focus in particular on monitoring the institution’s new strategy, developing its organizational and operational capacities, and establishing reliable indicators for evaluating its performance.
The two ministers also signed a MoU on cooperation in the field of documentary heritage and digitization, which provides for the exchange of experiences, methodologies, and knowledge in document and archive management, as well as the development of mechanisms for digitization, digital preservation, and online access.
On the judicial front, Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi and the Spanish minister of Foreign Affairs signed a MoU on the electronic exchange of requests for international legal assistance.
This agreement provides for the creation of a working group tasked with examining the technological, legal, and organizational capabilities necessary to enable the electronic submission and receipt of these requests.
In the economic sector, Minister of Economy and Finance Nadia Fettah Alaoui and Spanish minister of Foreign Affairs signed a MoU on tax cooperation, aimed at exchanging expertise in areas of taxation, supervision, and collection, joint adaptation to international tax reforms, and the exploration of technological solutions to improve the efficiency of both countries’ tax administrations.
A joint declaration on cooperation in the fight against hate speech, particularly hate targeting migrant workers, was initialed by Bourita and Spanish minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz Delgado.
This text establishes a framework for cooperation in the prevention, detection, and combating of all forms of hate speech, based on an integrated, continuous, and sustainable approach.
In the scientific field, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was inked between the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) and the National Geographic Institute of Spain.
This agreement provides a framework for bilateral collaboration in the study of seismicity, geodynamics, and lithospheric structure in the Iberian-Maghreb region, as well as in instrumental monitoring and earthquake and tsunami warning systems.
The strengthening of agricultural cooperation was formalized through the signing of a MoU in the agricultural and agri-food sectors between Minister of Agriculture Ahmed El Bouari and his Spanish peer Luis Planas Puchades.
This MoU focuses on agroecology, farm modernization, food security and sovereignty, training, and the exchange of technical expertise, with a view to promoting sustainable, innovative, and resilient agriculture.
Planas also signed a memorandum of understanding with Morocco’s Secretary of State for Maritime Fisheries Zakia Driouech, on cooperation in maritime fisheries, aquaculture, and the fight against illegal fishing, including coordination on surveillance, the use of digital systems for validating catch certificates, and the exchange of information on imports and exports of fishery products.
In the field of education, an agreement on the teaching of the Arabic language and Moroccan culture in Spanish schools in Morocco was signed by Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports Mohamed Saad Berrada and his Spanish peer María del Pilar Alegría Continente.
This agreement sets the conditions under which Morocco will provide teaching staff to Spanish schools in Morocco.
The two ministers also initialed a MoU on sport, which covers the fight against doping, the prevention of harassment and discrimination in sport, the inclusion of people with disabilities, and the exchange of expertise through participation in training courses, seminars, and conferences.
Finally, Spanish Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz Delgado and Minister of Health and Social Protection Amine Tahraoui signed a joint decision extending the application of the MoU on social protection and social security for two years.
This decision aims to continue technical cooperation, the exchange of expertise, and institutional strengthening in order to improve governance and bilateral coordination in this area.
All of these agreements reflect the shared willingness of Morocco and Spain to deepen their strategic partnership and expand their cooperation to new areas in the service of common development and regional stability.
Source: map
