Turkish Trade Minister Visits Morocco to Address Free Trade Agreement Tensions

The arrival of Ruhsar Pekcan, Turkish Minister of Commerce, will certainly help to ease commercial relations between the two countries. Morocco is calling for a review with Turkey of certain points contained in the free trade agreement. Indeed, according to the Moroccan authorities, due to the trade deficit caused by certain provisions, the Moroccan economy is losing more than two billion dollars. Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Moroccan Minister of Industry, Trade and Green and Digital Economy, before the House of Representatives. "We have no problem with any country, but we cannot accept that a State eliminates jobs with us," he had stormed before telling Turkey that Morocco intends to revise this free trade agreement or tear it up completely.

Ruhsar Pekcan, Turkish Minister of Commerce, is not coming alone to Rabat. She will be accompanied by a large delegation of Turkish companies, announces the Anadolu agency, which specifies that she will meet Mohamed Benchaâboun, Minister of Economy and Finance, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Trade and the digital economy, and Abdelkader Amara, Minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water.

It should be recalled that Morocco is one of the 17 countries highlighted in Turkey’s export master plan, published in September 2019, to increase exports in five main sectors: machinery, automotive, electrical and electronics, chemicals and food, reports Médias24.

These Turkish companies that are active in sectors such as construction, fishing, automotive, retail, furniture, iron and steel, carpets, food and clothing in Morocco, "total an investment of around one billion dollars from Turkish businessmen in Morocco, for nearly 8,000 Moroccans employed," Mehmet Buyukeksi, head of the Turkey-Morocco Business Council of Deik, told the Anadolu agency.