Morocco-Niger Joint Commission Meets in Rabat

The Morocco-Niger joint commission is to hold its second session this week in Morocco to debate ways to enhance cooperation ties between the two African nations.

The meeting will be co-chaired by Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Abdellatif Filali, and Niger's foreign affairs and African integration minister, Maman Sambo Sidikou.

Although the Commission was set up in 1982, it held only one session in November 1982 in Fez, Morocco.

Cooperation ties between the two countries are governed by several accords. During the sole year of 1998, three new accords were concluded in the fields of environment, water and tourism, in addition to a memorandum on political consultation between the Moroccan and Malian foreign affairs departments.

Trade between the two countries is globally modest despite a regular increase in the past few years. The volume of bilateral commercial transactions went up from 5 million dh in 1995 to 10 million dh last year.

Trade between the two nations is one-way, Morocco importing nothing from Niger. Exports are made up of canned fish, garments, shoes and drugs.