Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita held talks in Rabat on Thursday with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is on an official visit to the country. Le Drian’s visit to Morocco comes in preparation for the 14th session of the high-level meeting between France and Morocco, and to discuss priority strategic issues, according to media sources. The high-level meeting between France and Morocco is scheduled to be held in Paris on December 19, under the chairmanship of Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani and his French counterpart, Edouard Philippe. The 13th high-level meeting between the two countries was held in Morocco in November 2017, during which the two sides reaffirmed their ambition to build competitive and “innovative” economies and engage in “balanced” economic relations. France and Morocco also expressed their determination to increase the competitiveness of their economies, stressing the need to establish a general framework for business, which will enhance exchanges and investments, and to facilitate administrative measures, as well as to simplify access of citizens to public services, especially through initiatives in the field of e-government. The two countries decided to allocate funding for technical support to the Innov Invest funds, managed by the Central Guarantee Fund, to encourage and finance innovative enterprises and investment projects in the context of promoting balanced economic relations.