The tour carried out by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, May God Assist Him, at the end of November, beginning of December 2004, in several Latin American countries, namely Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Mexico, the the first of its kind carried out in the region by a Head of State of the Arab and African world, has since allowed to breathe a real dynamic of strengthening the partnership, particularly political, between Morocco and the whole region Latin American in general.
Political Partnership Between Morocco And of Latin American
If the political partnership between Morocco and the majority of Latin American and Caribbean countries has been able to reach a highly satisfactory level, it nevertheless appears that economic and trade cooperation has so far remained very weak and below the real potential that is offered on both sides, which is why it is necessary that diplomatic action towards this region be oriented around the strengthening of bilateral and interregional trade, in view of the following considerations:
• A region in constant economic growth: Latin America is today one of the regions of the world which records a positive rate of economic growth, which was close to 3% in 2012 and 2013. According to the Economic Commission for the In Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), this same rate is expected to continue in 2014. The region’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2012 exceeded the estimated global growth of 2.2%. Latin American countries have withstood the economic crisis rather well compared to other regions such as Europe, which is in recession, or the United States, where the economic recovery remains timid. It is in this context that the relations of the main world powers with this region favor the economic dimension much more than the political.
• A region where the economic presence of Algeria serves the activism of the separatists: Latin America has been the prey, in recent years, to fierce activism by the separatists, “facilitated” by Algeria which, using its “economic card” and the presence of the company “Sonatrach” in several countries of the region, endeavors to develop trade relations with them, and therefore, to influence the position of certain Latin American governments to obtain their support for the pseudo “SADR”. The presence of the Algerian company “Sonatrach” in Latin America has continued to grow in recent years, knowing that it actively participates in the financing of several investment projects in gas or oil exploration in the region. , as is particularly the case in Peru.
• Friendly Latin American countries that must be preserved through the economic component: in recent years, Morocco has initiated a process of strengthening political partnership with friendly Latin American countries, in particular Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras and Peru, to preserve the gains made and strengthen Morocco’s presence among them, knowing that all these countries continue to reiterate their firm interest for Morocco as a gateway able to facilitate the access of their products to the African, Arab world and European markets, so as to allow their better economic positioning in these regions. However, bilateral economic and trade cooperation with these countries has not made any concrete progress so far, despite declarations of intent on the common desire to revitalize the framework of this cooperation.
• Latin American countries to be recovered by the economy: the separatists were able to obtain reversals of position from countries formerly won over to Morocco, such as El Salvador and Uruguay, from which Morocco could use the economic card in order to bring them back to better feelings with regard to our National Cause. In the same vein, economic and commercial action redirected towards Mexico is now proving to be opportune insofar as the coming to power of new government authorities seems to open up positive prospects (economic orientation of Mexican diplomacy).
• A region characterized by profound upheavals within the framework of new alliances, particularly economic ones: Morocco having obtained, in recent months, the status of observer member with Latin American and Caribbean regional sub-groupings of an economic nature, such as the “Alliance of the Pacific” or the “Central American Integration System” (SICA), it is now necessary to take advantage of these new politico-economic alliances in order to ensure a better repositioning of our country on the continent. “The Pacific Alliance” (Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico), a free-trade sub-regional grouping that is growing in size compared to Mercosur, continues to reiterate its interest in strengthening economic cooperation with Morocco. , knowing that it will soon open, within this framework, a commercial office in Casablanca. The objective is to seize the opportunity offered by this regional space, in the same way as the Central American Integration System (SICA), an economic organization bringing together several Central American countries, in order to develop a genuine commercial partnership, both bilateral and interregional.
It is in the light of these developments that Morocco’s diplomatic strategy towards the Latin American continent must be adapted so as to henceforth favor the strengthening of Morocco’s economic and commercial ties with the region, in order to avoid losing the political gains made so far.
Ultimately, and within the framework of the “Latin American strategy” proposed for the years to come, it would seem particularly appropriate to ensure the adoption of all measures and/or initiatives along the lines of reflection presented above. , with a view not only to strengthening our economic presence in Latin America, but also to affirming Morocco’s place as a platform and gateway for the countries of the region towards the African continent, the Arab world and Europe, all this while guaranteeing a win-win partnership and promoting coordination with all the private and public actors and operators concerned.
On the strength of the progress made in economic and commercial matters and its experience in supporting the economic development of African countries, as well as its permanent commitment to South/South cooperation, Morocco could thus assert its role as an actor essential in Africa and the Arab world for the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
This article is originally published on moroccomail.fr
