In an interview with MAP on the eve of his visit to Morocco to take part in SIAM, Planas pointed out that Spain's participation in this year’s event is of paramount importance, as it confirms the distinguished level of cooperation between the two neighboring countries in various fields.

This fact, he noted, was reaffirmed by the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, last week before Parliament, stressing that cooperation relations with Morocco are undoubtedly at their best in recent decades.

"The meetings I will be holding on this occasion with my Moroccan counterpart, Mohammed Sadiki, are part of the dynamic cooperation relations between the two countries, and reflect the shared desire of Morocco and Spain to develop them further, particularly in the agri-food sector," added the minister.

In this respect, Planas noted that SIAM will also bring together ministers of agriculture from countries on both sides of the Mediterranean to discuss topics of great importance such as research and development, climate change, innovation and the use of new technologies in the agricultural sector, as well as the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems.

SIAM also provides an opportunity for the countries of the Mediterranean basin to reflect on the common problems and challenges they face, including climate change and the fight against both animal and plant new diseases, he explained.

He stressed that cooperation between Rabat and Madrid is constantly developing, as evidenced by the very significant increase in trade, which has risen by 40% over the last five years, making Spain Morocco's leading trading partner.

The Spanish minister also referred to the remarkable development of agri-food trade, with exports from Spain to Morocco having reached 1.155 billion euros, a figure that has more than doubled over the last four years, clearly reflecting the level of progress in this field, he underlined.