The Secretary of State to the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, in charge of Maritime Fisheries, Zakia Driouich, met on Monday in Rabat with the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Ahmed Ould Bahia, around ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of fisheries.
On this occasion, Ms. Driouich shed light on the means of strengthening the bilateral partnership in the fishing sector, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, and of instilling a new dynamic of cooperation between the two countries in areas of common interest related to the sector.
Thus, the two parties praised the quality of bilateral relations linking the two brotherly countries, recalling that the first fishing agreement between the two nations dates back to the year 2000, reports MAP.
During this meeting, which comes after the official visit of Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani to Morocco, the two officials discussed the main areas of common cooperation, particularly in the areas of maritime training, scientific and technical research, aquaculture, management and development of fishery resources, as well as the processing and marketing of fishery products.
The discussions also focused on the fight against illegal, unregulated and unauthorized fishing, maritime rescue, the exchange of experiences and good practices, in addition to welcoming Mauritanian students to continue their studies in the establishments of specialized training in the field of fishing, the promotion of cooperation and the facilitation of networking of economic actors from the two countries.
On this occasion, it was agreed to accelerate the implementation of the cooperation agreement signed in March 2022, in particular through a meeting of the sectoral joint committee. Mauritania was also invited to participate in the 7th edition of the Salon Halieutis.
The two parties also discussed mechanisms for shared management of common challenges, such as the exploitation of small pelagics and the determination of biological rest periods for certain species in order to preserve fishery resources, in light of environmental impacts. which weigh on marine ecosystems.
