H.E. Mr. Abdeslam Rharbaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to Bulgaria, about the upsurge in bilateral relations, about Morocco and about Bulgaria

H.E. Mr. Abdeslam Rharbaoui graduated in political sciences at the Rabat University. His professional career is related to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the cooperation of Morocco. In different periods he was a member of the cabinet of the state secretary for foreign affairs, head of social department, permanent member of the National Committee on the transit and reception of Moroccan communities overseas, diplomatic counselor of the chief secretary of the Foreign Ministry, director of the consular and social department.

His career overseas is also outstanding. From 1968 to 1975 he was foreign affairs counselor at the Moroccan Embassy in Brussels, 1977-1985 chief consul in Rotterdam, later chief consul in Marseille. Since November 27, 2001, he is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the King of Morocco to Bulgaria. Since January 21, 2004, he is also Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Macedonia with a seat in Sofia.

During the time spent in Bulgaria H.E. Mr. Abdeslam Rharbaoui has come to know the country and the Bulgarians quite well. He likes them, maybe because there are many things in common between the Bulgarians and the Moroccans: hospitality, generosity, pride in the national values. He is happy with the upsurge in nearly all areas of the bilateral relations and says his stay in Bulgaria has enriched him with wonderful events and meetings.

Your Excellency, you have been Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Bulgaria for three years now. How do you assess the relations between our two countries in the diplomatic and political aspect?
Allow me, first of all, to thank you for the opportunity you give me to address your readers.

The mutual relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Bulgaria are wonderful. They have always been based on respect, understanding and coordination of the viewpoints on issues of mutual interest.

Let us remember that the diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries are comparatively old. They take us back to September 1, 1961, and started with the accreditation in Sofia of the first ambassador of His Majesty the King of Morocco with a seat in Moscow. On April 10, 1986, the first ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco with a seat in Sofia was nominated. On the Bulgarian part, an embassy in Rabat was opened in 1962.

These relations nowadays are on the upsurge, which is manifested in the will of the two countries to develop and expand the fields of cooperation. The regular exchange of high-level visits and of delegations shows willingness to enhance the ties. In this sense, the visit of the Bulgarian Prime Minister to Morocco this month, in March, is a wonderful evidence of our friendly relations and the desire to explore more spheres of cooperation.

The legal framework, on which our relations are based, covers many sectors and we have signed agreements, which are in support of mainly the scientific, cultural and technical cooperation, trade exchange, tourism, increasing investments.

Also in the spirit of giving a new impetus to our relations, the Mixed Moroccan-Bulgarian Committee, which had not got together since 1996, convened in Rabat in March 2003. It reviewed the cooperation, raised the level of its application and paved the road to new prospects for its development. The meeting enabled the preparation of many projects and actions concerning agriculture, transport, machinery and equipment, the youth and sports.

The draft agreements are already implemented in some spheres: exemption from visas on diplomatic and business passports, cooperation in the juridical sphere (extradition, legal assistance in the sphere of criminal law, cooperation between the ministries of justice), cooperation in the field of youth and sports.
These drafts are worked out and will be signed very soon.

The economic relations between out two countries don’t seem to be sufficiently developed. What are the prospects for the future in view of their enhancement?
These relations are desired, although at the moment they do not correspond to the potential and favorable conditions, which the economy of our two countries offer.

As I already said, the two fundamental conditions for the development of these relations are there: the legal framework, determining the interrelations between out countries, and the manifested political will to further enhance these relations. Let us go back to our private sectors, businessmen and economic mechanisms, so they catch the favorable conditions, put in much more effort in concluding lasting agreements and creating a favorable climate, allowing the growth of the economic and trade exchange between the two countries.

In this sense, I would like to point out the participation of Morocco in the Plovdiv International Fair in October 2003. The presence of a group of Moroccan businessmen was an opportunity for them to establish contacts with Bulgarian businessmen, to look into the favorable conditions which are offered in different spheres of activity.

Within the framework of its work on enhancing the economic and business relations between the two countries, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco organized jointly with the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry a meeting of entrepreneurs and businessmen on December 2, 2004. It was attended by representatives of about 40 companies from different sectors. This meeting provided an opportunity to inform economic operators of the reforms in the Moroccan enterprises in a legal and institutional aspect, of the infrastructure our two countries offer to national and foreign investors.
For a flourishing cooperation between the businessmen and economic operators, in my opinion, it is desirable to undertake actions towards speeding up the treaties of cooperation, signed in 1998.
It would be very useful to renew the draft agreement concerning the establishment of a mixed chamber of commerce of the two countries.

What is the status of the contacts in science, culture and education?
Our relations in the spheres of education, culture and science are settled by the treaty signed in 1968, and an operative act of 1988. During the 7th meeting of the Mixed Committee in Rabat, March 2003, the two sides signed a program for cooperation in the field of education, science and culture. This program covers a period of three years (2003-2005) and concerns the following spheres:
Education. Exchange of documentation and experts in the sphere of secondary education, technology and informatics, the direct cooperation between the universities and educational institutions of the two countries, as well as participation in bilateral and multilateral scientific projects.