NEWS RELEASES
CANADA SIGNS PARTNERSHIP DECLARATION WITH MOROCCO
October 9, 1996 No. 187
CANADA SIGNS PARTNERSHIP DECLARATION WITH MOROCCO
Minister for International Trade Art Eggleton today announced the signing of a
Canada-Morocco Partnership Declaration designed to promote bilateral trade and
investment. The Declaration marked the end of a two-day meeting of the Canada-Morocco Bilateral Commission. It was signed for Canada by Mr. Eggleton and for
Morocco by Mr. Taib Fassi-Fihri, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation. Mr. Fassi-Fihri co-chaired the Ottawa-held Bilateral Commission
meeting.
"Canada's relations with Morocco are poised to enter a new phase of maturity and
growth," stated Mr. Eggleton. "The remarkable economic and political reforms
implemented by the Moroccan government have allowed the emergence of a growing and
dynamic private sector. The expansion of two-way trade and investment will
complement our strong ties in the areas of development co-operation and
education."
This was the fifth meeting of the Commission, giving both countries' delegates an
opportunity to exchange views on a broad range of bilateral relations, as well as
to finalize the terms of the Canada-Morocco Partnership Declaration.
The Commission also saw progress in a number of areas intended to boost relations,
most notably: continued bilateral negotiations on a Foreign Investment Promotion
and Protection Agreement; negotiations on a revision of the long-standing
bilateral agreement on development co-operation, to provide greater emphasis on
Canadian International Development Agency support for the Moroccan private sector;
and confirmation of the terms of an agreement on social security.
During his stay in Canada, Mr. Fassi-Fihri also met with Don Boudria, Minister for
International Co-operation and Minister Responsible for La Francophonie. The two
Ministers reviewed current and planned bilateral development co-operation
initiatives. They also discussed the forthcoming meeting of the Preparatory
Ministerial Conference for the Francophonie Summit. The Conference will be held
in Morocco in December.
Mr. Fassi-Fihri was also guest of honour at the "Forum des affaires canado-marocain" held in Montreal on October 7. He attended the Forum along with a
delegation of more than 20 Moroccan business representatives. This event was
designed to acquaint the Canadian business community with current economic and
commercial developments in Morocco, namely the opportunities created by the
privatization program and revisions to the country's investment regime. It also
promoted trade and investment partnerships between both business communities.
Mr. Fassi-Fihri's visit to Canada ends October 10.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Nicole Bourget
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister for International Trade
(613) 996-6271
or
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
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