Morocco, Togo Reaffirm Firm Resolve to Further Strengthen Relations – Joint Statement

Morocco and Togo reaffirmed, Tuesday in Rabat, their firm resolve to do everything possible to further strengthen their relations and intensify their cooperation in all promising sectors. This partnership shall be based on the exchange of experiences and a more proactive policy of businessmen of both countries, said a joint statement issued following a meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans abroad, Nasser Bourita, with his Togolese counterpart Robert Dussey, on the sidelines of his participation in the first Ministerial Meeting of African Atlantic States. This meeting comes within the framework of the bonds of friendship and brotherhood uniting the two countries and under their common will to further strengthen their cooperation relations. The two ministers held talks during which they welcomed the excellence of the ties of friendship and solidarity existing between the two brotherly countries and praised the feelings of esteem and respect that characterize the relations between their Heads of State, HM King Mohammed VI and his brother His Excellency Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Republic of Togo, the statement said. The two ministers also welcomed the brotherly talks held in November 2016 between HM the King and the Togolese President, on the sidelines of the COP22 High-Level Meeting and the African Action Summit. Regarding Morocco-Togo cooperation, the two FMs lauded the opening of the Kingdom’s Embassy in Lomé in October 2021 and the appointment of the Head of the Moroccan Diplomatic Mission in April 2022. On this occasion, Togo’s top diplomat announced the forthcoming opening of his country’s Consulate General in Dakhla, the joint statement added. The two parties agreed to further strengthen the ambitious South-South cooperation, through a partnership encompassing areas of common interest and relying on the exchange of experiences and a more proactive policy of businessmen of both countries. At the economic level, they stressed that the volume of trade falls short with regard to the excellent political relations and called for further boosting them with Moroccan imports consisting of mineral fuels, coffee, cotton, and tropical fruits, among others, and with exports of fertilizers, foodstuffs, paper, and electrical cables. In terms of investment, the two ministers welcomed Morocco’s presence in Togo through investments in the banking sector with the establishment of subsidiaries of Attijariwafabank, Banque Populaire, and Bank of Africa. To this end, the two parties decided to multiply the missions of businessmen to prospect other opportunities for trade and investment and to create a Morocco-Togo Business Council, the joint statement concluded.