A Moroccan Girl: October 2017

Morocco unveils fund to support startups

News October 31, 2017

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Morocco’s FBI Dismantles Drug Trafficking Network, Seizes 2.5 Tons of Cocaine

News October 03, 2017

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Morocco can be the keystone of India-Japan partnership for Africa

environment October 03, 2017

Chinese eco-friendly electric buses are rolling out in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh in yet another example of growing Chinese footprint in the North African nation. The buses were supposed to roll out in November last year when Marrakesh hosted the 22nd edition of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. However, technical issues didn’t allow that to happen. Subsequent months saw trials and driver training that ensured the buses were finally ready to hit the road.

China’s growing investments in Morocco are wide-ranging – from building smart cities to establishing collaborative ventures in automotive manufacturing, aerospace, electronic information, textiles, etc. In contrast, India’s economic engagement with Morocco continues to be dominated by the trade in phosphates. This needs to change if India is to fully realise the potential of its relationship with Morocco. The latter sits on the crossroads of two continents with Europe just 15km away. Plus, Morocco can be India’s gateway to Francophone Africa where New Delhi’s reach has been traditionally weaker. And with Morocco returning to the African Union earlier this year, it can be the perfect partner for India in advancing its African interests.

Yet, India’s engagement with Morocco lags far behind that of China’s. This is explained by the difference in resources and skill sets that New Delhi and Beijing possess. India really isn’t known for building overseas infrastructure. But it can turn this around by teaming up with Japan. In fact, New Delhi and Tokyo are exploring modalities of cooperation for infrastructure and human development projects in Africa as part of a proposed Asia Africa Growth Corridor.

During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India last month, the two premiers “welcomed the efforts to explore the development of industrial corridors and industrial network for the growth of Asia and Africa, which will benefit various stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific region including Africa. They shared the desire to further promote cooperation and collaboration in Africa in line with the priority measures identified through the India-Japan dialogue on Africa and the processes of the India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) and Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD)”.

In other words, India and Japan are ready to team up for African development projects that are collaborative in design, sensitive to local needs, locally owned, responsibly financed and bottom-up in approach. Japan certainly has the technology and the skills to build quality physical infrastructure. While India has a proven track record in fostering soft skills and developing human resource through training and education. Together, India and Japan can be the perfect combination for Africa.

And in this respect, Morocco should become the first port of call for the Asia Africa Growth Corridor. The Kingdom’s stable security environment and sure-footed economy make it ideal to receive joint Indian-Japanese investments. Indian and Japanese joint-ventures can then use Morocco as a launchpad for forays into other African markets and Europe. In conclusion, teaming up with Japan provides India with greater strength to fructify its African interests. And Morocco with its stable economic and security profile can be the keystone of the India-Japan partnership for Africa.

source : .moroccoworldnews

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Why Morocco Supports Spain’s Unity in Catalonia Referendum

Opinion October 03, 2017

As tension mounted in Catalonia after a local independence referendum received a crackdown from Madrid, Morocco expressed its official support of Spain’s Unity. Some have connected the kingdom’s stance to the conflict in the Western Sahara, but one political analyst has a different explanation.

For decades, Morocco and Spain have been at odds over the kingdom’s dispute with the separatist Polisario Front. Madrid has long held a position that was regarded by Moroccans as hostile to what they see as the kingdom’s territorial integrity.

For some, the Spanish hostility had roots in the rich history of conflict between the sides, including over Spain’s continuous “occupation” of lands Moroccans believe are theirs, such as the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and the Chafarinas Islands.

According to this reading, Madrid tried to divert Morocco’s attention from those lands and keep the kingdom focused on Western Sahara by providing support for the separatist Polisario Front.

In the 1970’s Spain also reportedly encouraged Mauritania to claim parts of Western Sahara and supported Algeria to be an active player in the conflict, according to a document released by Wikileaks.

In Spain, Polisario has a sizeable following among Sahrawi students, activists, and politicians. Some Polisario’s leading members hold Spanish nationality, including Khadijetou Ould El Mokhtar Sidhmed, an organization representative recently deported from Peru.

The Iberian kingdom is also home to several local pro-Polisario NGOs.

Things started to change however when the Socialists came to power in Spain in 2004. Economic considerations, especially after the 2008 international crisis, and Spain’s increasing reliance on its partnership with Morocco to fight terrorism and counter unwanted immigration were also key factors behind Spain’s change of position regarding the issue.

In contrast with its standpoints in the past, Madrid declares today that is in favor of a “lasting” and “mutually agreed-upon” solution to the conflict, and that is keen to preserve the strong relations with Morocco.

But was the Western Sahara dispute the reason Mustapha El Khalfi said late September that the kingdom backed Spain in its rejection of the Catalan referendum?

Samir Bennis, Morocco World News’s senior analyst, says that Morocco’s pro-unity stance and its own territorial dispute are unrelated.

“Morocco’s support to Spain is in line with its foreign policy, which rejects secessionist movements and defends the sovereignty of states and their territorial integrity,” says the analyst.

Bennis explains that this position has remained unchanged, giving as an example Morocco’s refusal to recognize Kosovo and its denunciation of the recent independence vote in the Iraqi region of Kurdistan.

On Thursday, El Khalfi said that Morocco stands with the Iraqi government in its rejection of the referendum which he said threatens the “security and territorial integrity” of the country.

The other reason why Rabat is backing Madrid in the ongoing tension with the Catalan government, Bennis continues, is that Morocco respects the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborliness concluded with Spain in July 1991.

The treaty put a premium on the defense of each country’s sovereignty, stresses the analyst.

By supporting the position of the Spanish government, Morocco is honoring this agreement, which clearly stipulates that both countries respect the sovereignty of each and “refrain from interfering in its internal affairs.”

While Morocco has made its position clear, Algeria, which has long justified its backing of Polisario by emphasizing people’s “right to self-determination,” has refrained from commenting on the crisis. Polisario, Algeria’s protégé, has also remained silent.

source : .moroccoworldnews

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A Moroccan Girl

Morocco unveils fund to support startups

Morocco’s FBI Dismantles Drug Trafficking Network, Seizes 2.5 Tons of Cocaine

Morocco can be the keystone of India-Japan partnership for Africa

Why Morocco Supports Spain’s Unity in Catalonia Referendum

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