Azerbaijan Attaches Great Importance to Developing Relations with Morocco – FM –

Azerbaijan attaches great importance to developing its relations with Morocco, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, said Monday in Rabat, commending the two countries’ excellent record in terms of mutual support within international organizations. Speaking at the opening of the 2nd session of the Morocco-Azerbaijan Joint Cooperation Commission, which he co-chaired with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, Bayramov stressed that the two countries, which celebrated last year the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations, enjoy close relations based on mutual esteem and underpinned by religious and cultural ties. He also recalled the excellent record of mutual support for each country’s initiatives and candidacies within various international organizations, expressing Azerbaijan’s readiness to further strengthen its relations with the Kingdom. Bayramov also called on Moroccan economic operators to seize the business opportunities offered in Azerbaijan, taking advantage of the cordial and regular ties between the two countries. The volume of the bilateral trade and investment is extremely modest in comparison with the potential of both parties, he said, arguing that it is high time to consider expanding economic cooperation through the signing of bilateral investment agreements covering trade, energy, transport, agriculture and free zones. He also hoped that the first Azerbaijan-Morocco business forum, to be held on Tuesday with the participation of Azerbaijani economic operators, would lead to positive results. Bayramov invited Moroccan companies to examine business and investment opportunities in Azerbaijan, calling for developing partnerships in the port sector. He also spoke of the great potential for cooperation in education and research. In this respect, he said that higher education institutes in Azerbaijan are interested in deepening relations with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and other institutions, through the establishment of academic programs and student exchanges. The Minister also highlighted the inter-parliamentary cooperation, underlining that it is an important pillar of the bilateral ties.