Strengthening ties: Morocco and Mauritania enhance parliamentary cooperation

Friday 02 May 2025 - 11:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Strengthening ties: Morocco and Mauritania enhance parliamentary cooperation

Moroccan and Mauritanian relations are on the rise as the two countries continue to forge partnerships in various sectors. Most recently, they have reached an agreement to advance their economic cooperation, with Morocco poised to assist Mauritania in establishing the Nouakchott Stock Exchange.

Morocco and Mauritania are intensifying their bilateral relations on multiple fronts. The Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott is set to host the inaugural Moroccan-Mauritanian parliamentary forum on May 9-10.

This landmark meeting aims to create “a space for dialogue, consultation, and cooperation between the Mauritanian National Assembly and the two chambers of Morocco’s Parliament,” according to news site Al Anbaa on April 30. The initiative to bring together the two legislative bodies first emerged in July 2022 in Nouakchott, proposed by former President of the House of Councillors, Naam Miyara.

The momentum for this forum gained traction in February 2024 during a visit by Rachid Talbi Alami, President of the House of Representatives, to Mauritania’s capital. After facing delays, the forum’s objectives were renewed following a meeting on December 20, 2024, in Casablanca between King Mohammed VI and President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani.

Just two weeks before this summit between the heads of state, Mohamed Ould Meguett, President of the Mauritanian National Assembly, made an official visit to Morocco. A Mauritania-Morocco parliamentary friendship group, formed in 2024 with 20 deputies from various Mauritanian political forces—both majority and opposition—now works to strengthen ties between the legislative institutions.

In terms of borders, construction work on the new border crossing from Morocco to Mauritania at Amgala has reached an advanced stage of over 95%. This new crossing signals a strategic shift in regional politics and trade routes across the Sahara.