CAIRO, May 4 (MENA) - Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan el Khatib on Sunday opened the Egyptian-Moroccan Investment Forum under the theme "A promising economic partnership".

The forum is attended by Moroccan Secretary of State in charge of Foreign Trade Omar Hejira, Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Ait Ouali and a large number of officials and representatives of the business community in both countries.

Khatib emphasized the strength of the time-honored relations between Egypt and Morocco that are based on a profound mutual understanding. He underlined appreciation of the Egyptian political leadership and people for their Moroccan counterparts.

The minister thanked his Moroccan counterpart and his accompanying delegation for accepting the invitation to visit Egypt, within the framework of efforts to advance bilateral relations.

He expressed desire that the visit would achieve further cooperation in all fields and open new horizons, both bilaterally and regionally, to maximize mutual benefits.

"This forum aims to create channels for continuous and constructive communication between the two countries," Khatib said, underscoring the importance of the event as a central mechanism for evaluating and developing trade exchanges, especially Moroccan exports to Egypt.

Khtaib highlighted the preferential trade agreement (PTA) between Egypt and Morocco that aims to stimulate economic growth and expand access to foreign markets, including the Agreement on Facilitating and Developing Trade Exchange among Arab States and its Executive Program for the Establishment of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), the Agadir Agreement, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement.

For his part, the Moroccan Secretary of State in charge of Foreign Trade said that relations between Morocco and Egypt are deeply rooted and historical, with a strong legal framework that includes the GAFTA.

He emphasized the strong political will to increase Moroccan exports to Egypt through already underway practical measures, including facilitating the registration and accreditation of Moroccan products and allocating a fast track for the access of Moroccan goods to the Egyptian market. (MENA)

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