Rabat: Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid met Thursday in Rabat with his French counterpart Catherine P©gard, to discuss prospects for bolstering cultural cooperation between the two countries. “I am very honored to welcome P©gard on her first overseas trip here to Morocco. We hope that our discussions will focus on establishing more partnerships to benefit the cultural industry,” Bensaid told the press following the meeting.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Bensaid called on this occasion for leveraging French expertise in several fields, particularly cinema, noting that “further exchanges will follow to encourage Moroccan cultural entrepreneurs to expand their reach abroad.” The cultural partnership between the two countries covers fields of gaming, publishing and books, cinema, and archaeology, he emphasized, noting that discussion should focus on fostering more partnerships to benefit the cultural industry.

For her part, the French Minister of Culture said she was “extremely pleased to be in Rabat for the International Book Fair (SIEL), where France is the guest of honor.” “I am both happy and deeply honored to now be able to contribute to the implementation of this strengthened partnership between France and Morocco,” P©gard stated.

“Last year, Morocco was the guest of honor at the Paris Book Festival. In a few days, Morocco will be the guest of honor at the Art History Festival in Fontainebleau, which is celebrating its 15th edition,” she said, noting that this meeting is likely to open new horizons for culture and for strengthening bilateral ties. France is the guest of honor at the 31st edition of the International Book Fair (May 1-10), featuring a program of 125 activities and meetings with 15 writers.