Rabat: Morocco stands as a “hub of mobility” at the continental scale thanks to considerable progress in infrastructure, particularly in the rail sector, French Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot said Thursday in Rabat.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, “The high-speed rail project is remarkable at all levels, whether in terms of rolling stock, engineering or infrastructure. We are particularly grateful for the trust placed in French companies as part of this extraordinary rail project,” Tabarot emphasized in a statement to the press following a working meeting with Morocco’s Minister of Transport and Logistics Abdessamad Kayouh, as part of the 15th Morocco-France High-Level Meeting.

The Morocco-France partnership on the high-speed rail project stands as “an immense mark of trust,” he stated, noting that it is a source of pride for France given the significant number of French companies involved in this project and the innovative funding mechanisms developed by both countries.

Tabarot also prais
ed regular exchanges between the two parties, which gave way to progress in several areas related to transportation. In order to foster sustainable momentum in the development of transportation infrastructure, the French minister spoke of bolstering training by investing in schools of excellence and fields with a promising future, so as to ensure that human resources are optimally qualified, particularly in the field of railway engineering.

For his part, Kayouh noted that this meeting served to highlight excellent ties of friendship and cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the French Republic, and to reaffirm the two countries’ shared commitment to strengthening their strategic partnership in the transportation and logistics sectors, in accordance with the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The minister explained that discussions focused on prospects for reinforcing cooperation in the field of road transport, particularly through an increase in th
e quota of transport permits for bilateral trade and transit, as well as on ways to facilitate the mobility of Moroccan professional drivers operating in international road transport, to promote trade between the two countries.

Opportunities for cooperation in the merchant marine sector were also discussed, Kayouh said, emphasizing the exchange of expertise, capacity building, and support for projects to modernize the maritime sector. Both parties discussed at this meeting cooperation in the airport sector, highlighting the importance of renewing the protocol to the Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement inked in December 2015 between Morocco’s National Airports Authority (ONDA) and Paris Airports (ADP) to support airport infrastructure upgrading projects and promote the exchange of experiences and best practices.

The two ministers reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various areas of transportation and logistics through promoting joint projects, multiplying exchanges of e
xpertise, and enhancing coordination among relevant entities, with the aim of enshrining the Morocco-France partnership.