Minister unveils plans to work closely with Morocco on several projects

The Portuguese government is not giving up on the project to set up a cruise link between Portimão and the Moroccan city of Tangier – just one of many cross-border projects in the works involving Portugal and the North African country.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Cravinho, made the announcement on May 28 during the unveiling of Loulé’s Islamic Baths.

“There are many current themes, such as energy and mobility, which Portugal and Morocco are working on together and for which there are very significant ambitions,” Cravinho told reporters.

“In terms of energy, we want to create an electric interconnection between Morocco and the Algarve and the rest of Portugal, with green hydrogen and carbon-free energies already in mind. These are ambitions which can make Portugal and Morocco a great bridge between Africa and Europe, and respond to some of the most pressing needs of our time,” the minister added.

The proposed cruise link fits the general plan as “mobility is fundamental”.

“We finally want to have a maritime link between the Algarve and Tangier,” he said, adding that a deal has already been signed to allow Portuguese and Moroccan citizens to travel more easily between the two countries.

The latest announcement comes after it was reported last year that plans to launch the cruise connection were becoming increasingly unlikely to move forward.

Original article written by Bruno Filipe Pires for Barlavento newspaper