All the conditions are in place to raise economic and trade relations between Morocco and Israel to the rank of a “strong”, “sustainable” and “shared growth” partnership, said Tuesday the president of the Morocco-Israel Business Council, Steve O’Hana.
“Given our fraternal relations, our cultural proximity, the complementarities and similarities between our two economies, as well as the transformation that they have experienced over the past few years, there are many opportunities to be seized,” he underlined during a webinar dedicated to the presentation of business and investment opportunities available to Moroccan companies in Israel.
“Thanks to the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco now has a business climate and assets whose attractiveness are recognized worldwide,” he pointed out.
In this regard, he mentioned Morocco’s political and macroeconomic stability, its qualified human capital, its world-class infrastructure, its geographical location as a gateway to Europe and a hub for Africa, its 54 free-trade agreements as well as the resilience and innovation of its private sector, proven throughout this pandemic period.
“Beyond the bilateral level, Moroccan-Israeli economic cooperation can therefore be part of a multilateral approach, in order to enter together new markets where each of our countries is present and competitive,” he said, adding that this collaboration can be extended to several sectors of common interest such as agriculture, renewable energies, water, industry, tourism, education, new technologies, innovation and cybersecurity.
Thus, to realize these ambitions, the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) and the Israeli Employers and Business Organizations (IEBO) signed, last March, a strategic partnership agreement, marking the creation of the Council of Morocco-Israel affairs, recalled O’Hana.
He also pointed out that this business council is a platform for bringing together Moroccan and Israeli companies, but above all, providing support for the success of investment projects and joint ventures.
With regard to trade, the Business Council works diligently with the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC), to bring exporters and importers from both countries together, he added, announcing the launch before the end of the year, of an electronic tool, which will further facilitate access to information and promote exchange between the two business communities.
For his part, the Head of the Israeli Liaison Office in Morocco, David Govrin, highlighted the great potential of Moroccan-Israeli relations, noting that the time has come to “explore and take advantage of this potential by both parties”.
He also called for identifying areas of partnership of common interest to the two countries, adding that his country is mobilized to support and facilitate bilateral economic cooperation efforts.
This webinar was organized by CGEM, in partnership with the Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI), the Federation of the Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC) and the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute.
