Jordan-Morocco taskforce to identify measures to activate stalled deals

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita on Wednesday discussed ways to boost economic cooperation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During talks held at the Foreign Ministry, Safadi and Bourita agreed to set up a taskforce to recommend, within a 10-day deadline, practical measures to implement the already agreed-upon plans to bolster economic cooperation in various fields including trade, investment, pharmaceuticals and tourism. 

The two diplomats said that the legislative frameworks and agreements are already in place; however, much more has to be done to activate these deals and increase trade exchange and mutual investments.

The two ministers also discussed several regional issues including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Syrian war and refugee crisis.

They went over the issue of Western Sahara, with Safadi stressing Jordan’s “absolute” support of the territorial integrity of Moroccan lands and the efforts to solve the issue under the Moroccan Autonomy Proposal.

For his part, Bourita said that the Jordanian-Moroccan ties are “very special” and based on everlasting solidarity and cooperation.

He acknowledged, however, that the two countries need to boost economic relations, given the existence of legal frameworks governing more than 115 agreements.

Also on Wednesday, Safadi met with the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn.

During the meeting, Safadi and Hahn discussed efforts to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution.

Safadi outlined the burdens that Jordan is shouldering due to hosting 1.3 million Syrian refugees, of whom 90 per cent live outside to Camps.

For his part, Hahn stressed the EU’s appreciation for Jordan’s role as a “cornerstone of stability and security in the region”.