Morocco-Brazil: political understanding, a guarantee of prosperous economic relations
With 60 years of diplomatic relations behind them, Morocco and Brazil continue to forge closer political ties to promote prosperous trade and mutual interests.
With the signing of a number of cooperation agreements in fields as diverse as culture, scientific research, defense and investment, the two countries have succeeded in concretizing this political rapprochement by laying the foundations for a strategic partnership designed to make the most of the opportunities offered by two influential countries in their respective regions and in the Atlantic area.the foundations of a strategic partnership designed to make the most of the opportunities offered by two influential countries in their respective regions and in the Atlantic area.
HM King Mohammed VI's visit to Brazil in 2004 enabled Morocco's partnership with this country of 215 million inhabitants, Latin America's leading economy, to expand into new segments with high added value for both parties.
The rapprochement between the two countries is favored by Brazil's "legalist and wise" position on the Moroccan Sahara, as stated by Morocco's ambassador to Brasilia, Nabil Adghoghi.
"Brazil, in a legalist, wise and highly respected position, has never recognized this fictitious entity (rasd) and continues to defend a political solution in the Security Council" as a way out of the artificial dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, he maintained.
The excellence of the cooperative relationship thus became a source of satisfaction for the leaders of both countries. Brazil's Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, recently praised the partnership, expressing confidence in the potential for developing economic cooperation between the two countries.
"I believe there is great potential to further increase bilateral trade and strengthen our partnership in areas of common interest, such as renewable energies", wrote Alckmin on his Twitter account.
Morocco is Brazil's second-largest trading partner on the African continent, while the South American country has become the Kingdom's fourth-largest partner in recent years. In the meantime, trade volume has reached historic levels, reaching $3 billion by 2022.
Figures for the first quarter of this year only serve to consolidate this trend: trade between the two countries reached $641.6 million, marking a jump of 37.1% compared to the first three months of 2022.
Moroccan exports to Brazil reached $333.8 million in the first quarter, up 49.31% on 2022 ($223.5 million), according to data from the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services reported a trade surplus in Morocco's favor of $26 million.
Economic cooperation is set to be extended to other areas of interest to both countries, such as logistics.t for both countries, such as maritime logistics, food safety, renewable energies, decarbonized mining and biofuels.
In an interview with MAP, Tamer Mansour, Secretary General of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, said that "in the field of trade, we are witnessing the emergence of a new partnership.In an interview with MAP, Tamer Mansour, Secretary General of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, said that "in terms of trade, relations between Brazil and Morocco are maturing, thanks in particular to the political rapprochement between the two countries".
Marcus Vinicius de Freitas, a Brazilian expert in geopolitics and international relations, explains this prosperity in bilateral trade by the excellence of political relations, based on mutual respect and pragmatism, and disregarding the ideological orientations of successive governments in Brazil.
According to the Senior Fellow at the think tank Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) and visiting professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, the Kingdom is a strategic partner for Brazil, which imports fertilizers that are indispensable to its agriculture, which is experiencing a surprising boom.
The two countries are nurturing even more promising projects under the government of President Lula Da Silva, who on January 1 received the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, representing HM the King at his inauguration ceremony. The program of action of the new Brazilian ambassador to Morocco, Alexandre Guido Lopes Parola, whose appointment has just been approved by the Senate, also shows how keen Brasilia is to accelerate the strengthening of the partnership with Morocco.
Alexandre Parola presented a number of proposals to the Senate, including increasing and diversifying trade between the two countries, developing economic activities, intensifying the flow of Brazilian trade missions to Morocco, and developing the Moroccan market.He also proposed the reactivation of the air link between Sao Paulo and Casablanca, the only flight linking North Africa to South America.
It is also worth recalling the adoption at the end of May by the Brazilian Parliament of a defense cooperation agreement, which opens the way to closer cooperation in this strategic field and above all testifies to the level of mutual trust.
A memorandum of understanding between the Collège Royal de l'Enseignement Militaire Supérieur (CREMS) and Brazil's Ecole Supérieure de Défense (ESD) was also signed earlier this year.was also signed earlier this year, establishing the general framework for cooperation in the field of higher military education.
Rabat and Brasilia are also firmly committed to promoting cultural exchanges and tourist flows between the two countries. The Brazilian capital is hosting one of the country's most emblematic festivals until September. This colorful musical event, which attracts an average of 15,000 spectators each day, celebrates Morocco this year, its culture, architecture and civilizational heritage, which has marked the Brazilian identity over the centuries.
On this occasion, the Moroccan National Tourist Office reaffirmed its ambition to triple the number of Brazilian tourists in the coming years, from the current level of 50,000, thanks in particular to the resumption of air links between Morocco and Brazil.
It is clear that the two countries have given themselves the means to reach a new level in their all-round cooperation, in line with HM King Mohammed VI's enlightened vision of diversifying the Kingdom's partners and mutually fruitful South-South cooperation. Brazil and Morocco have thus brought together the ingredients needed to develop a solid, long-term strategic partnership.
Source: www.mapexpress.ma/
