News
Wednesday 19 June 2019

Morocco, Ireland Ink MoU to Foster Parliamentary Cooperation

Vocal synthesis
Morocco, Ireland Ink MoU to Foster Parliamentary Cooperation

Speaker of the House of Representatives (lower house), Habib El Malki, on a working visit to Ireland, signed Wednesday with Speaker of the Irish Lower House, Seán Ó Fearghaíl, the first Memorandum of Understanding institutionalizing parliamentary cooperation between Morocco and Ireland.

The signing of this agreement in addition to the opening in 2020 of the Irish embassy in Morocco highlight the strength of the ties between Morocco and Ireland, El Malki told MAP.

Ireland considers Morocco “as a reliable and serious partner", hence the holding of several bilateral meetings with Irish officials, including the Minister of State for Trade and the Minister of Justice, he added.

“Parliamentary friendship groups play an extremely important role in developing parliamentary diplomacy, El Malki said, adding that Morocco wishes to hold by the end of the year a meeting between the two friendship groups.

The two countries have a great potential for cooperation, particularly in the fields of trade and agriculture, he pointed out.

For his part, Ó Fearghaíl welcomed the upcoming opening of the Irish embassy in Rabat in 2020, noting that this step will help explore "huge opportunities for exchange between the two economies and boost tourism and trade".

He also noted the convergence of views between the two countries on several international issues.

He said that the creation of the two parliamentary friendship groups, following the visit of El Malki, will consolidate ongoing political commitments.

For Ó Fearghaíl, Morocco is a gateway for Europe to an emerging African market, hailing "the enormous Moroccan potential and its leadership in the region, particularly in terms of migration management and the fight against climate change".

During his visit to Dublin, El Malki will hold talks with several members of the Irish government and senior officials. He will also be received by the President of the Irish Republic.

MAP 19 June 2019