Philippines, Morocco continue bilateral talks

THE Philippines and Morocco have agreed to strengthen cooperation in various areas during the two nations' third bilateral consultations meeting at Seda Manila Bay on Nov. 29. The Philippines was represented by Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Middle East and African Affairs Mardomel Celo Melicor and Morocco by Director for Asian Affairs Omar Kadiri. Both delegations discussed bilateral cooperation on trade, tourism, education, environment, consular affairs, labor and maritime issues. The Philippines and Morocco were looking forward to celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations next year. The Philippines and Morocco formally established diplomatic relations on April 10, 1975. The Philippines has reopened its embassy in Rabat in 2020, more than 30 years after it was closed. Morocco, meanwhile, opened its embassy in Manila in 2018. "Hopefully, there will be an increase in high-level visits in the next two years. We aim for 2025 to feature the highest level of engagement," Philippine Ambassador to Morocco Leslie Baja said. The Philippines was seeking to strengthen its economic ties with Morocco, recognizing it as a gateway to African markets. "What I'd like to see is really on the economic side because we do need more economic partners in the Philippines, and if we are able to look at Africa, not just Morocco, as a product and investment destination, then I think we'll be able to help the economy further," he added.