HIBAPRESS
Morocco and Spain signed, on Thursday in Madrid, several cooperation agreements covering the fields of foreign policy, economics, justice, transport, agriculture and fisheries, education and scientific research, sports, and sustainable mobility.
These agreements were signed within the framework of the 13th session of the Morocco-Spain High-Level Meeting, which was chaired by the heads of government of the two countries, Aziz Akhannouch and Pedro Sánchez.
In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of feminist foreign policy.
The memorandum aims to strengthen dialogue and exchange of experiences and mutual learning to support the integration of a gender equality approach in the various foreign policies of the two countries.
Bourita and Albares also signed a memorandum of understanding between the Moroccan Institute for Training, Research, and Diplomatic Studies, and the Spanish Diplomatic School, with the aim of consolidating the partnership between the two institutions and establishing a permanent framework for cooperation in the field of training young diplomats and exchanging experiences in diplomacy and international relations.
The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on the mobility of young diplomats, which provides for training mobility programs that enable young diplomats in both countries to acquire in-depth knowledge of public policies and strategic files addressed in Morocco and Spain.
In the institutional field, a declaration of intent was signed between the General Secretariat of the Moroccan Government and the Spanish Ministry of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with Parliament, which aims to accompany the modernization of the official printing press of the Kingdom.
This cooperation includes monitoring the implementation of the new printing press strategy, developing its organizational and operational capabilities, and setting reliable indicators to evaluate its performance.
The two ministers also signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of documentary heritage and its digitization, which aims to exchange experiences, methodologies, and knowledge in archival and documentary management, and to develop digitization and digital preservation mechanisms and facilitate electronic access to documents.
At the judicial level, the Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, and the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs signed a memorandum of understanding on the electronic exchange of international legal assistance requests.
The memorandum provides for the establishment of a working group to study the technological, legal, and regulatory aspects necessary to enable the sending and receiving of these requests electronically.
In the economic sector, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, and the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the fiscal field, concerning the exchange of experiences in the areas of the tax base, control, and collection, adapting to international tax reforms, and exploring technological solutions to improve the performance of tax administrations in both countries.
A joint declaration on cooperation in combating hate speech, especially that targeting migrant workers, was also signed by Bourita and the Spanish Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, Elma Saiz.
This declaration sets a framework for cooperation in the prevention, monitoring, and combating of hate speech according to a comprehensive and sustainable approach.
In the scientific field, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research and the Spanish National Geographic Institute.
The memorandum concerns cooperation in the study of earthquakes, geodynamics, and lithospheric structure in the Iberian-Maghreb region, in addition to cooperation in the field of automated monitoring and early warning systems for earthquakes and tsunamis.
In the agricultural field, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Minister of Agriculture, Ahmed Bouchaara, and his Spanish counterpart, Luis Planas Puchades, concerning cooperation in agriculture and food industries.
The memorandum of understanding focuses on ecological agriculture, modernization of agricultural estates, food security and sovereignty, training and exchange of technical expertise, in support of sustainable, innovative, and resilient agriculture.
The Secretary of State in charge of Fisheries, Zakia Driouch, and the Spanish Minister of Agriculture signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture and combating illegal fishing, including coordination in the field of monitoring, adopting digital systems to confirm discharge certificates, and exchanging information on imports and exports of fishing products.
In the educational field, the Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, Mohamed Sadiki, and his Spanish counterpart, María del Pilar Alegría, signed an agreement relating to the teaching of the Arabic language and Moroccan culture in Spanish educational institutions in Morocco, and it defines the conditions for providing Moroccan educational staff to these institutions.
The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of sports, concerning the fight against doping, the prevention of harassment and discrimination in sports, and the integration of people with disabilities, in addition to the exchange of experiences through participation in training courses, seminars, and specialized meetings.
In conclusion, the Spanish Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, Elma Saiz, and the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amin Tahraoui, signed a joint decision to extend the work for an additional two years in the memorandum of understanding on social protection and social security.
The decision aims to continue technical cooperation, exchange experiences, and strengthen institutional capacities to improve coordination and joint governance in this field.
These agreements, in their various fields, embody the shared will of Morocco and Spain to deepen their strategic partnership and expand their cooperation to include new horizons, serving joint development and regional stability.
