Fresh Plaza
Miguel Arias Cañete, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment
The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Miguel Arias Cañete, stated on Friday that “only with dialogue can we build the future” and defended the importance of having a meeting to analyse the situation of the markets, the evolution of prices and the adherence to quotas and import prices.
The Minister said that the goal is “to avoid damage to either of the two countries” and assured that “both Morocco and Spain are interested in working together to obtain good prices in the European markets.”
Arias Cañete made this speech at a joint press conference with his Moroccan counterpart, Aziz Akhannouch, after the end of the first meeting of the Spanish-Moroccan Joint Committee for Fruits and Vegetables, held at the Ministry’s building and attended by relevant members of both administrations and by representatives of the fruit and vegetables sector from both countries. The Spanish side was represented by the organisations ASAJA and UPA, Cooperativas Agroalimentarias and FEPEX (Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Live Plants.)
The Spanish Minister highlighted that the attendees represent practically the entire Spanish agricultural sector, that is, “all of those who want dialogue to build the future; and those who do not want dialogue can always protest, but protests have never solved any problems.”
A repeat of the successful Spain-France model
In this regard, Arias Cañete reminded that Spain and France formed a mixed committee that led to an improvement in bilateral relations. Consequently, we wish to repeat that “successful model” with Morocco. “Those who just want to keep protesting, let them continue on that path; but those who wish to build bridges, let them sit down at the negotiating table, because there is where problems are solved,” he stressed.
Source: Magrama
Publication date: 12/19/2012
