Head of Government, Saâd Dine El Otmani, and South Korean Prime minister, Lee Nak-yeon, chaired, Thursday in Rabat, the signing ceremony, of six agreements covering areas such as higher education, renewable energy, the automotive industry, networks and investment promotion.
Part of the working and friendship visit of the Korean official to Morocco, the agreements include a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of higher education inked by minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research, Said Amzazi, and South Korean deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Cho Hyun.
The two parties also signed an agreement in the form of an exchange of letters on the project to establish the Green and Smart Building Park, a research and development platform for green buildings and smart grids, inked by secretary of State to the minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mounia Boucetta, and ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Rabat, Seong Deok Yun.
In addition, a memorandum of understanding on the follow-up of the “project to set up the Casablanca institute for training in the automotive industry” was signed by secretary of State for Vocational Training, Mohamed Rherras, and chairman of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Mikyung Lee.
On another aspect, a memorandum of understanding between the Moroccan Sustainable Energy Agency (MASEN) and KOICA on the follow-up of the project “building R&D capacity on smart multi-microgrids”, was inked by MASEN head, Mustapha Bakkoury, and KOICA chairman.
Also, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding between the Moroccan Investment Development Agency (AMDIE) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). It was inked by the two Agencies’ directors general, Hicham Boudraa and Pyung-oh Kwon, as well as a memorandum of understanding between the Solar Energy and New Energy Research Institute (IRESEN) and Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI).
Speaking after a meeting with the head of government, held prior to the signing ceremony, the South Korean Prime minister said that the long-standing friendship between Morocco and his country is called upon to become “more concrete”, stressing that the two countries are united by a long history of friendship dating back 56 years.
Several Korean companies are investing in Morocco, particularly in the industrial sector, therefore they create opportunities for work and exchange of expertise, he noted.
The delegation of 37 Korean businessmen visiting Morocco will have the opportunity to meet with Moroccan partners to take advantage of available opportunities in the Kingdom, which is the gateway to the African continent, he said.
For his part, El Otmani, stressed that the visit will give new impetus to economic relations between the two countries and will provide an opportunity to examine the possibilities of promoting Korean investment in the Kingdom, noting that the agreements signed today reflect that ties between Morocco and South Korea are more oriented towards pragmatic and concrete cooperation.
The head of government also thanked the South Korean Prime minister for his country’s position backing Morocco in finding a solution to the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara by supporting the efforts of the UN Secretary General and the Security Council decisions in this respect.
