Joint Statement on the Meeting between His Majesty, King Mohammed VI and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 29 April 2005

His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco is in Singapore on a State Visit from 29 to 30 April 2005, at the invitation of His Excellency S R Nathan, President of the Republic of Singapore. This is the first State Visit by His Majesty to Singapore. His Majesty had talks with President Nathan. Separately, His Majesty also met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 29 April 2005 where they discussed bilateral cooperation and international developments.

At their meeting on 29 April, His Majesty and the Prime Minister agreed to further strengthen the excellent friendship and cooperation between Morocco and Singapore in various fields including:

(a) To commence negotiations for a closer economic partnership agreement that would strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries and regions;

(b) To commence negotiations on the proposed Agreement between the two countries on the promotion and protection of investments;

(c) To continue with the negotiations on the Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income (DTA); and

(d) To exchange experiences on port management.

His Majesty and the Prime Minister also witnessed the signing of the two bilateral agreements, namely the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of the Political Consultation Mechanism between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore as well as the Agreement on Economic, Technical, Scientific and Cultural Cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Government of the Republic of Singapore.

Discussions on bilateral cooperation and international developments were held in an atmosphere of cordiality and mutual respect.

His Majesty invited His Excellency President S R Nathan to pay a State Visit to Morocco which His Excellency graciously accepted. The date of the visit will be determined through the diplomatic channels.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
29 APRIL 2005