Morocco recorded in 2020 a trade surplus of nearly 180 million dollars with Poland, MAP news agency reported on Thursday, citing Polish Ambassador to Morocco Krzysztof Karwowski.
The Polish diplomat was speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the celebration of the 230th anniversary of the adoption of the first Polish constitution.
"We have exceeded the symbolic figure of one billion dollars in terms of trade between the two countries, and this to the benefit of Morocco which has exported to Poland nearly 617 million dollars against 438 million," he said.
Despite the constraints related to the health crisis, the two countries have recorded an "extraordinary and valuable" increase in trade to the tune of 25% last year, the diplomat added.
Karwowski also revealed that the data for the first months of the current year are more favorable showing a growth of 46% with 263 million dollars ($ 136 million exports for Morocco against $ 127 million for Poland) of trade recorded in the first two months of 2021, against 182 million dollars in the same period last year.
These figures reflect the excellence of relations between the two countries, the diplomat said.
For Poland, its operators and investors, Morocco is a "great country of hope" given its efforts in new technologies, renewable energy, agriculture and agribusiness.
On the continental level, "Poland sees Morocco as a great potential gateway to Africa in economic terms," Karwowski said.
Regarding the restoration of direct air routes between Morocco and Poland, the diplomat said that efforts are underway in this direction especially since the number of Poles who choose Morocco as a travel destination is increasing.
In 2019 nearly 80,000 Poles had stayed in Morocco. This is "a symbolic goal that we would have wished to exceed in 2020 but, because of the pandemic, we plan to achieve it next year," he stated.
The diplomat praised the Moroccan response to the novel coronavirus and the "vaccination campaign which is also very well conducted and effective."
Morocco and Poland have carried out almost the same number of vaccinations so far, he said.
