Today's vote following the adoption by a large majority of the agricultural agreement last week is a reaffirmation of the mutual desire to strengthen cooperation between Morocco and EU, particularly parliamentary cooperation between the two sides, he said in a statement.
The agreement, adopted by 17 votes in favor, 7 against and two abstentions, covers the fishing zone extending from parallel 35 to parallel 22, from Cape Spartel northern Morocco to Cape Blanc south of the Kingdom.
Mr Atmoun further indicated that this vote is the result of long-term work and several rounds of negotiations, amendments and adaptations of this agreement which sets the conditions of access for the European fleet and provides for the requirements. of sustainable fishing.
This positive result crowns the all-out efforts of Moroccan diplomacy with a regular and continuous presence of members of the Moroccan-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, on the Moroccan side, he said, adding that they managed to convince MEPs that this adaptation exercise led by the Kingdom and the European Union demonstrates that Morocco fully assumes its role as a strategic and reliable partner.
He emphasized the sustained action of the Parliamentary Commission in the defense of the Kingdom's interests "on all possible fronts, being sensitive both to the discussions on the neighborhood policy and to the will of the EU to strengthen the strategic dialogue with Morocco.
The commission remains, he said, at the same time vigilant about developments in the other strategic issues under negotiation so as to preserve all the agreements binding the two parties.
Mr Atmoun also said that the role assigned to the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee is to "continue to work within all European parliamentary bodies to protect the interests of both parties against any attempt at manipulation".
"We will work together with our European counterparts to enforce the commitments in all agreements that bind us and reach a positive vote on this Fisheries Partnership Agreement scheduled for February 13", he said.