The Diplomat
The President of the Junta (Regional Government) of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, and the President of the Regional Council of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Omar Moro, signed yesterday a general Protocol of collaboration to further deepen and strengthen relations between the two parties and move forward in various areas and issues of common interest.
After the signing, which took place at the headquarters of the Junta in the Palace of San Telmo (Seville) and attended by the ambassador of Morocco in Spain, Karima Benyaich, Moreno reminded the media that his first official trip as president of the Board was, precisely, to Morocco in June 2019 and assured that he is confident that he will be able to make “soon” a new visit to the neighboring country. The objective of Juanma Moreno’s previous trip to Morocco, which included visits to Tangier and Rabat and the inauguration of the Andalusia-Morocco Business Meeting in the capital, was to strengthen commercial and cultural ties between the two peoples and to support business and cooperation projects promoted by the regional administration.
The possible trip of Juanma Moreno, of the PP, would coincide with the good moment currently experienced by diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco following the decision of the President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, to recognize the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara. This change of course in Spanish foreign policy was strongly criticized by all political parties except the PSOE (including government partners). It was also strongly criticized by the PP, which aspires to win the early general elections on July 23 and, therefore, to take the helm in Spanish foreign policy.
Also, Moreno said that the agreement is a step forward in relations between Andalusia and Morocco and said that, for the Andalusian community, the relationship with this country is one of the backbones of external action, thanks to the historical relations between the two sides and the role of Andalusia as a necessary interlocutor in areas such as bilateral relations Spain-Morocco, the European Union or the Mediterranean area.
“Andalusia is a bridge between Europe and North Africa that has always had an outstanding and unique role as a union between the cultures on both sides of the strait,” he added, quoted by the Junta de Andalucía in a press release.
The Andalusian president said that the agreement improves and deepens existing relations in areas such as international cooperation, the promotion of cultural, ethnographic, historical and artistic heritage, strengthening the industrial fabric, trade relations and investment promotion to promote higher levels of cooperation between economic actors in the region of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima and Andalusia. The text also promotes the promotion of R&D&I, digitalization and artificial intelligence and addresses sustainable development, the protection of biodiversity, the fight against climate change and forest fires.
