• Morocco, Egypt sign agreements to deepen bilateral cooperation

• Deals cover investment, energy, health, tourism, customs cooperation

• Move follows new coordination committee to boost long-term ties

Morocco and Egypt signed a series of agreements to strengthen bilateral ties, the Egyptian presidency said on Tuesday, April 7.

The agreements include cooperation in sports and youth affairs, as well as a customs cooperation agreement providing for mutual administrative assistance.

The two sides also signed several memorandums of understanding: one to strengthen investment ties between Egypt’s General Authority for Investment and Free Zones and Morocco’s Agency for Investment and Export Development, and three others covering combating desertification, housing and tourism.

Three cooperation protocols were also signed, covering new and renewable energy, health and pharmaceuticals, and industrial development.

The signing followed the first session of the Egyptian-Moroccan Coordination and Follow-Up Committee, held in Cairo on Monday, April 6.

Egypt and Morocco have maintained ties for decades. Various joint committees have been set up over the years to coordinate exchanges between the two countries, but the creation of the Coordination and Follow-Up Committee marks a new phase in their cooperation. The two North African nations have signed multiple agreements since 1966 across a range of sectors.

According to the Egyptian government, the main Egyptian companies operating in Morocco in 2024 include RASCOM (hospitality and development), Morocco’s state-owned Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG), involved in a tourist complex project in Tan-Tan in southern Morocco, HIDLICO Egypt (electrical projects), as well as Arab Contractors and New Air. Moroccan investments in Egypt reached about $14 million, mainly in tourism, agri-food and chemicals.

The two countries are also seeking to develop nuclear energy. At the second World Nuclear Energy Summit, held on Tuesday, March 10 in Paris, Egypt and Morocco both affirmed their ambition to integrate nuclear power into their energy mix.

During the first session of the Coordination Committee, Egypt “reaffirmed its support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco, as well as for the latest Security Council resolution and a consensual political solution.” According to the Moroccan government, “this resolution underscores that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty constitutes the most viable solution to the question of the Moroccan Sahara.”

Lydie Mobio