Speaker of Mauritanian national assembly holds talks in Rabat

Speaker of the Mauritanian National Assembly (parliament), Sheikh Ahmed Ould Baba, who started Sunday a five-day official visit to Morocco, held talks in Rabat Monday with several officials and members of parliament on bilateral relations.

Sheikh Ahmed Ould Baba held separate meetings with the speakers of the House of Representatives (lower house) and the chamber of advisors (upper house), Abdelouahed Radi and Mustapha Okacha, the minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa, and the minister of culture and communication, Mohamed Achaari.

Talks mainly focused on the need to upgrade economic relations between the two countries, especially so as Mauritania imports almost 90 percent of its consumption goods.

The two sides called fore easing administrative procedures to promote trade and service exchanges and upgrade economic cooperation to the level of the political relations existing between the two countries.

Sheikh Ahmed Ould Baba underlined the importance his country grants to relations with Morocco and recalled the brotherly cultural and historical ties binding the two countries as well as their shared values.

The official visit King Mohammed VI will pay to Mauritania next September was also brought up at the talks.