During his meeting with Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch on Thursday, on the sidelines of the 13th High-Level Meeting between the two countries, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasized the importance of “the strong human ties that unite Spain and Morocco, where the Moroccan community remains the largest among foreign communities in Spain, and is now the largest contributor to social security with 335,000 people; which is an example of how cooperation can be transformed into shared prosperity,” according to a statement from the Moncloa Palace (the Prime Minister’s residence).

On the economic front, Sanchez highlighted the strength of trade ties between the two countries, noting that “Spain has been Morocco’s number one trading partner since 2012,” while praising the desire of Spanish and Moroccan companies to deepen their relations, and calling on them to take advantage of the opportunities that will be made possible by hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

According to the same statement, the 13th high-level meeting between Spain and Morocco aims to “build a more modern, inclusive and global relationship, with a shared vision for the future and current challenges, such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, climate change and sustainable energy transition, with a focus on the citizen.”

In addition to the joint declaration that was adopted, which affirms the two countries’ desire to strengthen political dialogue and cooperation in important areas such as digitalization and modernization of public administrations, education, and prevention of natural disasters, 14 agreements were signed, including an international administrative agreement, 11 memoranda of understanding, and two declarations of intent.

The statement read: “In the field of digitization and modernization of public administrations, several memoranda of understanding were signed: one for tax cooperation to promote the digitization of tax administration, another for sending and receiving cooperation requests via electronic means, and the memorandum of understanding in the field of social protection and social security was extended, which will continue to guide the exchange of technical capabilities, modernization of administration, and cooperation mechanisms.”

During the meeting, a memorandum of understanding on documentary heritage was also signed, in addition to a statement of intent to cooperate in exchanging information and technical expertise related to the digital production of legislative and regulatory texts and their electronic publication.

With the aim of strengthening cooperation in the fields of sports, culture and education, Spain and Morocco signed a new administrative agreement concerning “strengthening educational cooperation in Spanish institutions in Morocco; the current text updates the framework for teacher participation, defines the conditions for their selection and their working mechanisms, and establishes mechanisms for coordination and follow-up.”

A memorandum of understanding was also signed to enhance sports cooperation, with the implementation of joint activities in training, exchange of experiences, organization of events, and protection of athletes, so that “an annual follow-up committee is established under the agreement, which confirms the two countries’ commitment to a safer, more inclusive, and future-oriented sport,” in addition to “another memorandum of understanding to enhance bilateral cooperation in preventing and responding to hate speech, through institutional cooperation, public awareness, and joint action to combat disinformation.”

The same source noted that “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation also signed memoranda of understanding in the field of women’s diplomacy to promote gender equality and empower women and girls in foreign service, as well as in the field of exchange of young diplomats to develop training mobility programs and cooperation between diplomatic schools.”

Finally, “several memoranda of understanding were signed to improve cooperation in natural disaster management, agriculture and fisheries. The agreements signed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food focus on innovation and water resource management, rural support and combating illegal fishing. These agreements also include promoting marine fisheries, aquaculture, sustainable agriculture, food security and rural development.”

The statement continued: “A memorandum of understanding was also signed to enhance technical and scientific cooperation in the study of earthquakes and geodynamics in the Strait of Gibraltar region, an area of common interest to both countries located in the collision zone of the Eurasian and African tectonic plates. This cooperative framework aims to enhance shared knowledge of earthquakes and potential tsunamis, and includes the exchange of past and future scientific information and coordination in deploying monitoring networks.”