News
Monday 3 February 2014

Indian foreign minister visit to Morocco

Vocal synthesis
Indian foreign minister visit to Morocco

India Determined To Reinforce Cooperation Relations With Morocco, Indian FM

Indian foreign minister Shri Salman Khurshid expressed, Saturday, his country's determination to foster cooperation ties with Morocco.

India wants to foster its cooperation with Morocco in the economic, academic and security fields, in addition to the counter-terrorism area, Khurshid told the press after an audience granted by HM King Mohammed VI at the Marrakech royal palace.

 He said he was honored to meet the sovereign to whom he conveyed the greetings of the Indian president and prime minister.

 He said that his visit to Morocco was very successful and that it opens a new chapter in bilateral ties.

Morocco, India Sign Two Cooperation Agreements In Marrakech

Morocco and India signed, Saturday in Marrakech, two cooperation agreements on the environment and sea fisheries.

The agreement were signed by foreign minister Salaheddine Mezouar and Indian counterpart Salman Khurshi following their meeting.

 In a statement to the press, Mezouar said that the first agreement concerns the environment and the impact of climate change, and is in line with strategy advocated by HM King Mohammed VI concerning renewable energy and the development of mechanisms for climate protection.

 He added that the second agreement concerns the sharing of experiences and investment in the field of sea fisheries.

 We View Morocco As An Essential Partner In Africa, Indian FM

We View Morocco As An Essential Partner In Africa, Indian FM

Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid, who will start Thursday a working visit to Rabat as part of an African tour that will take him also to Tunisia and Sudan, said that India "looks with great respect at the changes taking place in Morocco during the reign of King Mohammed VI" and "views Morocco as an essential partner in Africa".

In an interview with MAP, in New Delhi, Khurshid underlined that Morocco "has always been giving support on issues that concern India, on the principle of reciprocity. We would like to strengthen our relations with Morocco in our new partnership strategy, with focus on capacity development, enhancement of trade and investment, as well as forging joint positions on regional and global issues."

He added that Morocco is contributing significantly to India's food security through export of phosphate and phosphoric acid.

 "We appreciate Morocco’s support at the multilateral fora, including the United Nations bodies. Morocco has also expressed support for a permanent seat for India in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council. We welcome this," he went on to say.

The Indian top official concluded by saying that the North African region as a whole remains important for India from the political, economic, development and security perspectives.