Morocco is “an important partner” both for Germany and for the European Union (EU), particularly in the field of agriculture, said the German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture on Saturday in Berlin. Agriculture, Cem Özdemir.
The German official praised, in a statement to the press following his talks with the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Ahmed El Bouari, the “relations of very strong friendship and partnership between Morocco and Germany, based on equality”, as well as the quality of collaboration and cooperation between the Ministries of Agriculture of the two countries.
El Bouari and Özdemir held a bilateral meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of Berlin Green Week (January 17 – 26), at the end of which the two ministers signed a declaration creating a Morocco-Germany working group for cooperation closer in the areas of food and agriculture.
“We now want to raise these (Moroccan-German) relations to a higher level and move forward together,” said Mr. Özdemir on this occasion.
The initiative of a joint working group makes perfect sense, according to the German minister, because the two countries face common challenges such as the climate crisis, management of water resources and support for farmers.
Özdemir also praised the level of exchange of experiences in the agricultural field between Morocco and Germany, two countries which are working together to build a common future.
The creation of this Morocco-Germany working group is part of Morocco’s participation in the 89th edition of the International Green Week in Berlin (Grüne Woche), where the Kingdom is represented by a pavilion inaugurated Friday by El Bouari in the presence of Özdemir.
The Moroccan pavilion brings together 21 exhibitors representing 39 cooperatives from the 12 regions of the Kingdom, and offers typically Moroccan products such as argan oil and its derivatives, olive oil, saffron, dates, as well as aromatic and medicinal plants.
A world reference in the field of agriculture, this year the Grüne Woche brings together more than 1,500 exhibitors from around sixty countries and attracts nearly 400,000 visitors, making Berlin a major crossroads for exchanges around food, agriculture and horticulture.
