Morocco plans to review its trade agreement with Turkey to address a growing $3 billion trade deficit, largely driven by significant imports of Turkish fabric, Reuters reported on Tuesday. To that end, Omar Hejira, Secretary of State to the Minister of Industry and Trade in charge of Foreign Trade, is set to visit Turkey soon to discuss measures to reduce this deficit, sources who attended a meeting with Hejira said. The trade agreement between Morocco and Turkey was originally signed in 2004. It was amended five years ago to include a 90% tariff on Turkish textile and clothing imports. However, Moroccan companies continue to import large quantities of Turkish fabric. Morocco's overall trade deficit widened by 22.8% to 109 billion dirhams in the first four months of this year. The deficit increased by 7% last year to 306 billion dirhams, with the trade gap with Turkey ranking as the country's third-largest, after those with the United States and China.
