FTA with Turkey will help Morocco Complete membership to Euro-Mediterranean space
Morocco-Turkey, Economics, 4/6/2004

Moroccan Foreign trade minister, Mustapha Mechahouri, underlined that the free trade agreement (FTA) between Morocco and Turkey, to be signed on April 7 in Ankara, will help Morocco complete membership to the "Euro-Mediterranean space."

In an interview published Monday by the Moroccan daily "Assahra al Maghribya," Mechahouri said that the importance of the agreement stems from the fact that Turkey is one of the candidate countries for European Union membership.

According to the Moroccan minister, this agreement is different from those that Morocco has signed or is about to sign with other countries as it stipulates for the abolishment of all customs tariffs for Moroccan industrial products by January 1st, 2005, date of its entry into force, while Turkish products would benefit from a gradual exemption of these tariffs in ten year time.

Regarding agriculture, the Moroccan official underlined that as it had been convened with Turkey, Moroccan agricultural products will benefit from total protection.

On his part, Turkish ambassador in Morocco, Algan Akin, told the same newspaper that Turkey grants great importance to this agreement, the first of its nature to be signed with an Arab state, particularly as Morocco is about to sign an FTA with the United States, which will enable Turkish investors based in Morocco to export their products to the American market.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco, Turkey to sign free trade Agreement next week   (4/3/2004)
  Moroccan exporters welcome FTA with US, reserved about Turkey   (4/2/2004)
  Morocco to sign FTA with Turkey in April   (3/18/2004)

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