President Wade of Senegal on official visit to Morocco
Morocco-Senegal, Politics, 5/29/2000

President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal starts this Monday a three-day official visit to Morocco, meant to "renew the brotherly solidarity existing between the two countries."

President Wade who will land this afternoon in Marrakech where he is to meet King Mohammed VI said his official visit to the kingdom is meant to "renew the deeply-rooted brotherly solidarity existing between the two countries" and to voice "determination to consolidate bilateral relations and expand the scope of cooperation."

In an interview with MAP bureau in Dakar on the eve of his trip, President Wade voiced satisfaction over the level of bilateral cooperation in the realms of university training and military cooperation, recalling "many of our military chiefs have been trained in Morocco."

He said opportunities do exist to bolster cooperation in other fields and establish mutually profitable relations, for example in matters of trade, investments, and finance.

President Wade who described Morocco as "one of the great countries of the continent, in view of its geographic situation and economic and political weight," said that he would like to meet Moroccan economic operators and industrialists to inform them about the investment opportunities in Senegal and in the west-African sub-region, a market of 70 million consumers, he said. Moroccan enterprises will derive huge benefits if they finance projects in Senegal, either for the local market of Senegalese consumers or for exports in the west-African sub-region, he said.

The Senegalese head of State, who describes himself as "a champion of African and Pan-African integration», called for the promotion of joint ventures. "The presence of Moroccan and Senegalese businessmen within the same firm is likely to promote (African) integration," he said adding these businessmen will endeavor to upgrade exports, identify the obstacles and exert, if necessary, pressures on their respective governments to lower down obstacles.

President Wade touched on the other sectors offering huge cooperation opportunities such as the financial sector and said Senegal and all the other African countries need to benefit from Morocco's rich experience in town and regional planning.

Dealing with African-Arab cooperation, President Wade said this cooperation should not be limited to the search of petro-dollars but should be placed in "a deeper approach." He proposed in this respect the setting up of "An Arab-African Development Agency" and called for entrusting the carrying out of projects to Arab and African enterprises rather than to western firms.

He expressed hope that this Afro-Arab cooperation would start at the level of searchers and technicians and said that he has a "comprehensive program" on this cooperation that he will submit to Arab leaders, and to King Mohammed VI in the first instance.

In another interview with MAP, Senegalese minister of foreign affairs and Senegalese expatriates, Cheikh Tidiane Gadio renewed Senegal's backing to Morocco's territorial integrity and voiced resolve to further consolidate the Dakar-Rabat axis.

The Senegalese official said nothing whatsoever will alter his country's stand on the Sahara issue and that the Senegalese president's visit to Morocco will provide opportunity to consolidate the centuries-old relations binding the two countries.

Several Moroccan dailies ran this Monday stories on Moroccan-Senegalese relations that date back to the 9th century, telling how the two states have along ten centuries set up a shared religious, human, economic, cultural and historical heritage that shields their relations from any crisis.

This will be Wade's first state visit to an African country since he was elected President of Senegal last March 19.

Previous Stories:
  Something special is taking place between Morocco and Senegal, Wade says   (5/23/2000)
  Former President Diouf leaves Morocco Sunday for France   (4/14/2000)
  King Mohammed receives Congolese president, former senegalese president   (4/8/2000)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search