Moroccan Minister of International Cooperation Nasser Boreeta said that Morocco is the second African investor in the continent and the first in West Africa, through the presence of more than 1000 Moroccan enterprises and investment in addition to the presence of Moroccan banks in more than 26 African countries.

He added, in an interview with “Arabs Today”, that Moroccan interest in Africa is not circumscribed nor controlled by opportunism and utilitarianism, saying, “The orientation towards the continent is not the birth of today, nor is it a late discovery or a new exploration of a geographical patch, which is originally the space of belonging and the land of affiliation.”

He praised the position adopted by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to approve Morocco’s membership, saying that such a position comes as a result of the cordial relations between Morocco and the member states of the group.

He also praised the keenness of the Moroccan king to strengthen relations with the African states, saying that the king has given priority to Africa since 2002. He added that the king conducted over 51 visits to the different countries of the continent. He stressed that the country was keen to deepen economic relations with the African states.

He stressed that Moroccan diplomatic network witnessed notable development during the recent years, adding that the country has 29 embassies in Africa representing one third of the country’s diplomatic missions in all over the world. He added that the country signed over 426 agreements with African states since 2014.

He stressed that the cooperation with Africa is not limited to the diplomatic and economic levels, while extends to the cultural and religious levels, as over 25 thousand African students graduated from the Moroccan universities.

He added, “The volume of trade with African countries recorded a growth rate of 11 per cent during the period 2005 and 2015, and the volume of trade between Morocco and African countries between 2002 and 2014 by five times.”