Speaking to MAP at the end of Morocco-UK First Association Council, co-chaired by the British Minister for International Trade, Ranil Jayawardena and Mezzour, the Moroccan official said that this first session was an opportunity to "welcome the positive development of trade and investment between our two countries."

"In accordance with the High Guidelines of HM King Mohammed VI, we have set up working groups to strengthen these exchanges and improve the business climate for British investors in Morocco," he added.

It will be achieved "as part of a win-win and co-development partnership that involves the United Kingdom, Morocco, and the African continent," he stressed.

During the meeting, Mezzour and Jayawardena expressed their shared ambition to further strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the areas of trade facilitation, industrial development, infrastructure and green economy.

They also highlighted the importance of developing the Moroccan industrial partnership and opening it to British companies, particularly in the fields of automotive, aerospace and textiles, and to promote British investment in Morocco and Africa.

The two countries also held, on Wednesday, the 3rd session of the strategic dialogue which opened with a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad Nasser Bourita and the British Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the United Kingdom, James Cleverly.

The 3rd session of the Morocco-UK strategic dialogue was marked by the adoption of a joint political Declaration and the signing of two decisions setting up the main bodies of the new Morocco-UK Association Agreement, concluded between the two countries in 2019.