Morocco-USA launch sea route

  Maazouz, who opened, here Tuesday, a seminar on "Optimizing trade with the United States under the Free Trade Agreement," recalled that the United States was Morocco's sixth client and 7th provider in 2008.

   Since the inception of the FTA in 2006, bilateral exchange stood at  21.4 billion dollars in 2008, posting an 83% increase, he explained.
   Morocco's exports to the United States doubled in 2008, totaling 5.58 billion dirhams against 2.25 billion DH in 2006.

   In turn, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Robert P. Jackson at the US Embassy underlined that bilateral trade increased "dramatically" since the entry into force of the FTA, and doubled in 2008 as compared to 2005.

   Besides cereals, bilateral exchange encompasses planes and phosphates, he said, stressing that the US market offers multiple opportunities for investment.  

    Morocco meets the standards required to be a "privileged partner of the United States," Jackson underlined, noting that the FTA is a "recognition of the significant progress made by Morocco" in the last decade in terms of economic reform and “highlights the role of the Kingdom as a gateway to the Maghreb region."

    The meeting, held by the US Embassy in Rabat and the American Chamber of trade in Morocco (AmCham) in collaboration with the ministry of exterior trade, aims to help Moroccan companies capitalizing on the FTA and is part of a programme to develop trade capacities.