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In Second Leg of Four-Country Africa Tour, King Mohammed VI Promotes Sustainable Agriculture in Guinea-Bissau
Morocco, Guinea-Bissau Sign 16 Cooperation Agreements
Washington, DC, May 29, 2015 (MACP) — On Thursday, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI traveled from Dakar, Senegal to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, where he and Guinea-Bissau President Jose Mario Vaz announced an agricultural partnership between the two countries and presided over the signing of 16 cooperation agreements.
The agriculture partnership will facilitate the exchange of best practices in ten specific areas, including rice cultivation, artificial insemination and the improvement of livestock breeds, irrigation, fertilizer use, agricultural research and laboratory skills, public-private development of farmland, and more.
To kickstart the partnership, the King announced a donation granted by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development of veterinary and other livestock products.
In addition, the two leaders signed 16 cooperation agreements in the areas of security and local governance, investment protection, marine fisheries and aquaculture, infrastructure technical assistance, mining, renewable energy development, vocational training exchanges, and others.
The King’s visit in Guinea-Bissau marks the second leg of a four-country tour that will next take him to Cote d’Ivoire and Gabon, and comes less than a year after a similar tour during which the King visited Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Gabon and presided over the signing of more than 80 bilateral agreements on trade, agriculture, water, energy, and job training, among other areas. The King had also visited Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, and Gabon in March 2013.
“Morocco has become a recognized leader in promoting South-South cooperation,” said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel, “And this latest tour is the continuation of King Mohammed’s years-long efforts to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in Africa. Given the US’s strong relationship with Morocco, and the fact that Morocco is the only country in Africa with which the US has a Free Trade Agreement, the US should continue to look to Morocco as a conduit for effective economic and cultural diplomacy on the continent.”
On the sidelines of the third US-Morocco Strategic Dialogue held in Washington in April, Morocco and the Millennium Challenge Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to “facilitate sharing the lessons of Morocco’s experience; increase regional, private sector investment; and serve as a pilot for South-South cooperation.“
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