This meeting was attended by Mr. Mohamed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests and Mr. Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, of Employment and Skills.

During these talks, Mr. Bourita and Mr. Santos Silva commended the excellence of bilateral relations and their dynamic and advanced nature, while stressing the need to strengthen them further in order to reinforce the strategic partnership between the two countries. The strategic partnership reinforced their economic relations through the establishment, last November, of an economic council which aims to refocus priorities, consolidate the gains and explore new innovative ways for an advanced economic partnership.

Mr. Augusto Santos Silva praised the far-reaching reforms undertaken in Morocco over the past two decades under the enlightened Leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and hailed the New Development Model as well as the promotion of advanced regionalization.

Regarding the 14th session of the High Level Meeting, to be hold in Portugal, the two ministers agreed to make of this event an opportunity to boost bilateral relations in order to meet the shared ambitions, explore new opportunities and create synergies in terms of value chains, investment promotion and triangular cooperation.

The two ministers also lauded the exemplary management of the pandemic in each of the two countries, in light of the success of the vaccination campaigns.

The Portuguese Minister reiterated his country's commitment to the strategic partnership between Morocco and the European Union and affirmed Portugal's support, through direct referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CURIA), in support of the EU Council decision to appeal the judgments of the European court on agricultural and fisheries agreements with Morocco.

Discussions between Mr. Bourita and Mr. Santos Silva on regional and international issues confirmed the convergence of views on the serious and credible efforts carried out for the peaceful settlement of conflicts.

The Portuguese Minister praised the key role of Morocco, as a regional pole of stability and a driver of economic growth in Africa.

The two Ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintaining the momentum at the multilateral level and within international fora.

At the end of their talks, Mr. Bourita and Mr. Santos Silva proceeded with the signing of the agreement on the residence and employment of Moroccan workers in Portugal, which will facilitate legal and safe migration flows between the two countries.