The 2nd session of the Joint Commission Morocco-Cabo Verde took place in a climate of cordiality and mutual understanding. This meeting allowed to give a new dynamic to the excellent relations of friendship and fraternity linking the two countries.

During their meeting, the two ministers welcomed the excellence of the deep ties of friendship and solidarity between the two countries and praised the quality of feelings of esteem and respect that characterize the relationship between HM King Mohammed VI and His Brother H.E. José Maria Pereira Neves, President of the Republic of Cabo Verde, as well as their shared willingness to make the Moroccan-Cabo Verde partnership relations a model of inter-African cooperation.

In this regard, the Moroccan Minister recalled the momentum generated by the visit of Mr. Rui Alberto de Figueiredo Soares to Rabat and Dakhla, in August 2022. The Moroccan Minister expressed the full readiness of Morocco to continue working to provide a renewed impetus to this momentum of cooperation and solidarity.

The two parties also reviewed the evolution of the fruitful cooperation between the two countries in several areas as well as the possibility of diversifying and expanding it, further consolidating promising sectors such as tourism, training, financial services, marine fisheries, management and operation of ports, among others, which are the strategic axes of the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development 2022-2026 (PEDS II), and this, in accordance with the Guidelines of the highest authorities of both countries.

Addressing regional and international issues of common interest, the two ministers noted, with satisfaction, their convergence of views on the various issues raised. They reiterated their determination to participate in efforts to settle disputes in Africa and praised Morocco's constant efforts, under the wise and enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI and those of His Excellency José Maria Pereira Neves, President of the Republic of Cabo Verde, and His Excellency José Ulisses Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, for the development of the continent.

The two ministers stressed that Morocco and Cabo Verde share a common desire to contribute to the preservation of peace and stability in the African continent.

Regarding the Sahara issue, Mr. Rui Alberto de Figueiredo Soares:

• Recalled Cabo Verde's support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco;
• Welcomed the efforts of the United Nations as the exclusive framework for achieving a realistic, practical and lasting solution to the Sahara regional dispute;
• Reaffirmed the support of Cabo Verde to the Autonomy Plan Initiative presented by the Kingdom of Morocco, which constitutes the only credible and realistic solution for the resolution of this dispute.
• Expressed the support of the Republic of Cabo Verde to the search for a lasting solution that preserves the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the exclusive aegis of the United Nations.
• Stressed, in this sense, that the opening by the Republic of Cabo Verde of a Consulate General in Dakhla in June 2022, is in line with the international dynamics of the confirmation of the Moroccanness of the Sahara.

For its part, the Moroccan side reiterated the appreciation and gratitude of the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco for the unconditional support that the Republic of Cabo Verde has always provided to Morocco, as evidenced by its positions in the various regional and international forums. To this end, the two parties agreed to support, in a concerted and mutual way, the Moroccan and Cabo Verdean candidacies in these forums.

In addition, the two ministers stressed the interest of the Heads of State in the development of economic relations between the two brotherly countries, as part of a new partnership strategy. In this context, Mr. Nasser Bourita marked the readiness of the Kingdom to contribute to the efforts of socio-economic development in the Republic of Cabo Verde, especially in priority sectors such as tourism, fisheries, health, agriculture, vocational training and energy.

The two ministers reaffirmed the willingness of Morocco and Cabo Verde to develop an ambitious Public Private Partnership (PPP) mutually beneficial to both countries to serve as a model of South-South cooperation in the continent.

In addition, both parties are pleased to hold the Business and Investment Forum, on the sidelines of this Commission, organized jointly by the CGEM and AMDIE of Morocco and their counterparts in Cabo Verde, to promote trade between the two countries and create win-win partnerships in sectors of common interest.

Similarly, both parties stressed the need to establish a Moroccan-Cabo Verdean Business Council and to take advantage of the promising economic prospects related to the Cabo Verdean consular presence in Dakhla, which is expected to become a pole of excellence in African regional economic integration.

The two parties reaffirmed the commitment of their Heads of State and Government to work together for the search of a lasting peace and economic development in the African continent, especially in the context of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Moroccan Minister also reaffirmed the support and availability of Morocco to contribute to strengthening the integration of Cabo Verde in ECOWAS, taking into account its specificities as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS).

At the end of this 2nd session of the Joint Commission of Morocco-Cabo Verde cooperation, both parties were pleased with the results of this important meeting which allowed the examination and identification of various projects and cooperation actions to be carried out jointly.

Welcoming the spirit of brotherhood and mutual understanding that marked the work of this meeting, the two ministers proceeded to the signing, on this occasion, of the following Cooperation Agreements:

• Agreement for the reciprocal promotion and protection of investments
• Convention on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion in terms of taxes on income
• Agreement on the reciprocal abolition of Visa for holders of ordinary passports.
• MoU on commercial cooperation
• Framework Cooperation Agreement in the field of energy
• MoU in the fields of housing and sustainable urban development.
• MoU in the fields of youth and women's activities.
• Framework Cooperation Agreement in the field of vocational training
• Framework Cooperation Agreement on the granting of academic scholarships, internships and the sharing of expertise

Mr. Rui Alberto de Figueiredo Soares expressed the warm thanks of the Cabo Verdean delegation for the warm welcome and Moroccan hospitality it enjoyed during its stay in Morocco.

The two parties agreed to organize the 3rd session of the Joint Commission of Cooperation Morocco-Cabo Verde in Praia, on a date to be mutually agreed upon by diplomatic means.