Ambassador Bush’s Remarks
2016 Marrakech Air Show, American Pavilion Opening
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
To my distinguished Moroccan hosts and to the impressive group of U.S. company representatives gathered today in the USA pavilion, as the U.S. Ambassador to Morocco, I am so pleased to participate once again in the Marrakech Air Show.
I wish to congratulate each of our U.S. exhibitors for participating this year. The United States has been a part of each Marrakech Air Show from the first show back in 2008. I am pleased to see that there has been steady growth in the number of visiting and exhibiting US companies each year.
Aerospace is an area in which the United States and Morocco collaborate very closely. On the commercial side, your technologies and solutions are helping Morocco become the regional hub between Europe and Africa that it aspires to be.
The US Aerospace industry helps Morocco’s economy by helping it to attract more and more travelers and tourists each year. Many US companies also have active and productive joint ventures in Morocco that hire more than 1,500 Moroccan workers.
On the defense side, the United States and Morocco have a shared goal of stability and security throughout Africa. Our joint African Lion military exercise, which finished this week with the participation of 13 countries, reflects a vision of strengthened cooperation and capacity to provide security to the people of the region.
Our companies exhibiting here today illustrate the depth and breadth of US technology and we are delighted to see so many US products and solutions here in this year’s USA Pavilion.
Morocco has determined that the aviation sector is an important one for its regional economic growth strategy. The Kingdom of Morocco encourages aviation companies, both civilian and military, to take advantage of its strategic location.
The regional hub strategy creates a unique opportunity for US firms in North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and further in the Middle East.
We hope your meetings over the next few days are successful and all of us here from the US Mission stand ready to assist in any way we can.
Thank you very much, and let’s open this pavilion!
