Mr. Salaheddine MEZOUAR, Minister of Economy and Finance, received Mr. Charles Michel, Belgian Minister for Cooperation and Development, at the Ministry of Economy and Finance on Monday 2nd February 2009.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Patrick Vercauteren Drubbel, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Rabat, and by representatives of the Secretary of State for Water and the Environment, and the National office of Drinking Water.
During the meeting, Mr. MEZOUAR and Mr. Michel made an assessment of the implementation of the financial cooperation between Morocco and Belgium, discussing prospects for further development in the course of the 2010-2013 Indicative Cooperation Programme which will be adopted to mark the 18th session of the Joint Moroccan-Belgian Cooperation Commission to be convened in 2009.
Mr. MEZOUAR seized the opportunity to praise progress made, the efficiency demonstrated by both parties in implementing the 2006-2009 Indicative Cooperation Programme, as well as the quality and the relevance of sectors and areas of activity chosen to benefit from Belgian cooperation.
In view of these encouraging achievements, Mr. MEZOUAR invited Mr. Michel to lend his support so that financial aid allocated to Morocco by Belgium be doubled for the 2010-2013 Indicative Cooperation Programme.
Mr. Charles Michel expressed his satisfaction at the outstanding friendship between the two kingdoms, which extends beyond the field of financial and economic cooperation, especially with the 400,000 Moroccan nationals in residence in Belgium. Mr. Michel expressed his determination to support Morocco`s development efforts in rural areas.
For his part, Mr. Fassi Fihri wished to thank the Belgian authorities for their on-going support, particularly in providing aid to supply drinking water to disadvantaged regions. This truly was a great achievement for the many villages that benefitted from Belgian aid to these projects.
Mr. MEZOUAR and Mr. Michel discussed the possibility to include projects in the sector of water and sanitation, rural development (aid to microcredit to small farmers), agriculture (Green Morocco Plan), and renewable energy, in accordance with Belgian cooperation policy as well as with Moroccan development priorities.
To reinforce financial cooperation, Mr. MEZOUAR also urged Mr. Michel to consider, alongside donations, granting concessionnal loans to finance public projects.
Mr. Salaheddine MEZOUAR, Minister of Economy and Finance, and Mr. Charles Michel, Belgian Minister for Cooperation to Development, proceeded with the official exchange of the legal documentation relating to the financing of the " Water sanitation for the cities of Zagora and Tinghir " project.
During the ceremony, Mr. MEZOUAR expressed his satisfaction with this financial aid providing support to the National Drinking Water Office (ONEP) with a ? 14.5 million donation to the water sanitation project for the cities of Zagora and Tinghir.
The project will provide both cities with a sanitation network and a water purification plant, meeting the need in water sanitation of both cities and reducing pollution.
Mr. MEZOUAR thanked Belgium for earmarking ? 6.5 million for this project from the overall allocation granted by the Belgian Cooperation to Development, which underlines Morocco`s capacity to channel funding and the efficiency of the operators in charge of implementing such development projects.
Finally, Mr. MEZOUAR and Mr. Michel praised the standard of economic and financial cooperation between the two kingdoms, and reiterated their determination to further consolidate bilateral cooperation.