Union of Comoros President Azali Assoumani on Wednesday expressed his gratitude to Morocco for supporting the island nation-state off the east coast of Africa become a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) earlier this year.
During a meeting with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Geneva, Assoumani applauded Morocco’s “unwavering commitment” and assistance in the accession process that concluded in February.
Membership in the WTO will not only open up Comoros’s economy, he said, but it will also help to “integrate it into regional, continental, and global value chains,” and “promote diverse international trade”.
President Assoumani hopes to continue to have Morocco’s support post-accession, particularly in the renewable energy sector, to stimulate economic growth and enhance the value of local products for export.
He also highlighted his country’s desire to “learn from Morocco’s successes” in services and tourism to attract foreign direct investments and improve overall economic performance.
Permanent Representative Ambassador of Morocco in Geneva, who is also the President of the working group on the accession process for Comoros, Omar Zniber, thanked Assoumani for his leadership in guiding the accession process.
He also noted that Comoro’s success in becoming a member of the global trade group reflects the importance of integrating least-developed countries (LDCs) into the multilateral trading system and the need to promote international trade relations based on transparency, fairness, and inclusivity to support the development goals of member-states and strengthen the credibility of the WTO, especially with respect to African LDCs and the organization’s development agenda.
WTO Director Okonjo-Iweala took the opportunity to congratulate Comoros once again on becoming a member.