Orna Barbivay
Orna BarbivayYossi Zeliger/Flash90

Israel's Economy and Industry Minister Orna Barbivay (Yesh Atid) on Sunday will leave on the first economic working visit to Morocco since the resumption of diplomatic relations between Israel and Morocco.

Barbivay will sign a historic economic-commercial cooperation agreement that will constitute an important stage in laying the economic foundation for business relations between the two countries.

During the visit, which was coordinated by the Israeli mission to Morocco, Minister Barbivay will visit Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakesh, where she will hold a series of meetings with ministers, senior government officials and senior members of the business community.

On Monday, Minister Barbivay will meet with Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour, with whom she will sign the aforesaid agreement. She will also meet Economy and Finance Minister Nadia Fettah Aiaoui and Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills Minister Younes Sekkouri.

Minister Barbivay will also visit enterprises of Israeli textiles and agriculture companies. She will be accompanied by her husband, attorney Moshe Barbivay, who was born in Morocco and who emigrated to Israel in 1958 when he was three. This will be their first visit to Morocco.

Bilateral trade amounted to approximately $70 million in 2021 with around $12.2 million in exports and $57.2 million in imports. Israel exports to Morocco mainly transportation products and rubber, plastic and rubber products, and chemicals. Imports from Morocco are mainly textiles, agricultural products and transportation products.

Minister Barbivay said: "Morocco is very important for Israel diplomatically, economically, and culturally. I am going there to lay the necessary economic infrastructure for productive bilateral trade. Despite the existing commercial ties and the fact that Israeli industry is already in Morocco, the scope of economic cooperation is only partial relative to its potential, the realization of which will significantly contribute to the economic well-being and growth of both countries."

Economy and Industry Ministry Foreign Trade Administration Director Ohad Cohen said: "Since the establishment of relations between the countries, we have held a series of talks with our Moroccan government counterparts. We have identified great potential for bilateral commercial cooperation in digital health and medical equipment, water technology, agriculture, cyber and fintech, food security, green energy, air travel, food technology, smart transportation and more. This is the Minister's first working visit to Morocco and it is very significant for Israeli industry and Israeli exports to the Kingdom of Morocco."