Day: June 8, 2024

Speaker of the House of Advisors, Enaam Mayara, held talks, on Friday in Rabat, with chairman of the France-Morocco Interparliamentary Friendship Group in the French Senate, Christian Cambon, currently on a working visit to Morocco. The talks focused in particular on ways of consolidating bilateral relations in various areas of common interest, according to a statement by the upper house. On this occasion, the two parties reaffirmed the exceptional nature of the relations between the two countries and the two friendly peoples, underlining the need to intensify joint action on all fronts capable of enhancing these ties, both bilaterally and within the framework of international cooperation. He added that during the meeting, the French senator highlighted the efforts made by the Friendship Group to support the Kingdom's just causes, pointing out that his visit to Morocco takes place in preparation for the official visit of president of the French Senate Gérard Larcher, scheduled for July, at the invitation o f the speaker of the Moroccan House of Advisors. According to the statement, Cambon stressed the importance of making the most of this visit and turning it into an opportunity to highlight the special nature of bilateral relations and their historical, economic, cultural and humanitarian ramifications. For his part, Mayara hailed the level of Morocco-French relations and the renewed momentum they are enjoying, stressing the importance of working to develop them in the service of common interests, while expressing the readiness of the upper house, in all its components, to lead all parliamentary initiatives likely to strengthen the promising directions of these ties, notably by multiplying exchanges of visits, coordination and consultation on issues of common interest. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Assembly of the Sichuan province and secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Committee of the province, Wang Xiaohui, underlined, Friday in Rabat, the strategic importance of Morocco as a bridge between Europe and Africa. In a meeting with speaker of the House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami, Xiaohui reviewed the promising areas of cooperation between the two countries, including trade, renewable energies, tourism, transport, education, scientific research and culture, stressing that relations between the two nations are undergoing qualitative development, according to a statement by the lower house. For his part, the speaker of the House of Representatives highlighted the remarkable role played by the Kingdom on both the continental and international levels, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, underscoring the importance the Sovereign attaches to solidarity and cooperation between countries on the African continent. He also recalled the contents of the Royal Speech on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the glorious Green March, in which HM the King proposed the launch of an international initiative to promote access to the Atlantic Ocean for the Sahel States. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

The Atlantic Initiative, launched by HM King Mohammed VI, illustrates the depth of Morocco's commitment to strengthening South-South cooperation and intercontinental solidarity, particularly between Africa and Latin America, said Morocco's ambassador to Peru and Bolivia, Amin Chaoudri. The Moroccan diplomat, who recently gave a conference in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz (900 km east of La Paz) to mark Africa Day, said that this Royal Initiative represents a 'significant step forward in our Atlantic strategy, in which the future Port of Dakhla will play a crucial role', adding that this port infrastructure is set to develop into 'a major logistics and maritime trade hub for the region', which will boost the region's economic development and help strengthen trade links with Europe, Africa and Latin America. For Chaoudri, this Royal Initiative also symbolizes 'the emergence of a new policy of solidarity aimed at promoting development and progress along the entire African Atlantic coast, including the Sahel geographical area', recalling that this area encompasses landlocked countries facing major challenges, including terrorism, transnational crime, climate change and migration. This innovative Moroccan approach, he added, 'breaks with the old Western paradigm that linked development exclusively to security, a strategy that proved to be biased, since the emphasis today is on promoting security through development, marking an important step in Morocco's African policy'. It is also a solidarity initiative that aims to 'guarantee the right of access to the sea for the landlocked African countries of the Sahel, by offering them vital access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Kingdom's road, port and rail infrastructures'. "As Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Bolivia, I am proud to bear witness to my country's commitment to this global vision, which promotes shared, mutually supportive and sustainable development. Our 3500 km Atlantic coastline positions Morocco as a natural leader in the promotion of the Atlant ic as a center of economic integration", said Chaoudri, who gave a detailed historical overview of the relations linking Morocco and Africa through the ages. The Moroccan ambassador referred in particular to the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline, 'a mega-project that is set to stretch some 6,000 kilometers across eleven West African countries to reach the European Union in order to supply much-needed gas in these times of global crisis'. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse