Jordan, Morocco PM hold talks on economic ties

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and his Moroccan counterpart Abdul Ilah Bin Kiran on Saturday held talks on ways to cement Jordanian-Moroccan relations, particularly in phosphate mining and marketing as both the two countries are major world producers and exporters of the vital commodity.They also discussed prospects for cooperation in the field of renewable energy since Morocco is a leader in this sector, and agreed to work for expanding ties in economic and commercial fields as well as in tourism, pharmaceuticals and information technology.Ensour commended Morocco’s reforms, adding that His Majesty King Abdullah II and Moroccan monarch Mohammad VI had picked the timing “at the correct hour and with the right calculations” and seized “that historical opportunity” to carry out reforms.He said both countries had forged ahead with democracy and expansion of public freedoms and the ceding of some powers by their monarchs, which saved them the woes that other countries could have avoided if they had the wisdom to do so.“This is a big lesson for States that it is inevitable to forge ahead with reform since reform is a process, not a decision that has a beginning and an end. Reform is an ongoing process as long as life lasts,” he added.Ensour expressed the hope that a meeting of the Joint Jordanian-Moroccan Higher Committee due to take place in Rabat would culminate in more joint ventures.Kiran said Jordan and Morocco, which are bound by a “special relationship,” are facing difficult circumstances that need to be overcome, mainly cementing the democratic reform and development path and addressing the challenge of maintaining the unity of the Arab and Islamic world.The Moroccan premier lauded Jordan’s political and socio-economic reforms, which “His Majesty King Abdullah had led with wisdom and ability.”Kiran, who is on a three-day visit, was accorded an official welcoming ceremony, led by Ensour, upon his arrival at the Prime Ministry for the talks.