Day: May 29, 2024

Beijing – Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, held talks here Wednesday, with Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, also member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

During the meeting, held part of the positive dynamic in bilateral relations since the signing of the strategic partnership declaration by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God Assist Him, and His Excellency President Xi Jinping, on the occasion of the Royal Visit to Beijing in May 2016, the two countries reaffirmed their clear, constant and mutual support on fundamental issues pertaining to the vital interests of the Kingdom of Morocco and the People’s Republic of China.

The two Ministers also lauded the depth and richness of the friendship and cooperation ties binding the two countries, and welcomed the dynamic and ambitious initiatives taken to strengthen bilateral political, economic and cultural ties.

The meeting was also an opportunity for both sides
to examine the prospects for developing economic and commercial exchanges, particularly those offered by Morocco’s global trade, through the encouragement of Chinese investments in the Kingdom.

In this regard, the Cité Mohammed VI Tanger-Tech, launched on the occasion of the Royal Visit to Beijing in 2016, is an ambitious industrial and smart city project, that illustrates the convergence of Moroccan and Chinese visions. The City aims to become a major hub for advanced technologies and new-generation industrial projects.

Growing Chinese investments in the Kingdom, particularly in electric mobility, automotive, renewable energies and infrastructure sectors, is evidence to the success of this initiative.

In addition, the talks were an opportunity to note the increase of Chinese tourist flows to Morocco, thanks to the Sovereign’s farsighted decision to lift visa requirements for Chinese citizens since June 1, 2016, which has considerably strengthened cultural and human ties between the two friendly countries.

During this exchange, Mr. Bourita expounded the recent Initiatives announced by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, including the initiative geared towards promoting stability, security and economic prosperity in African countries bordering the Atlantic; the initiative to encourage access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean as well as the strategic Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project which aims to strengthen regional integration and boost economic development along Africa’s Atlantic coast and beyond.

For his part, Wang Yi hailed the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in promoting the Kingdom’s stability and economic and social development, and praised Morocco’s contribution to the promotion of regional and international peace and security.

The two ministers also welcomed the progress made under the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative, with the signing of the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the Implementation Plan for the joint construction of the initiative in 2022.

The talks also covered other r
egional and international issues of common interest.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Manama – Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, highlighted, on Wednesday in Manama, the efforts of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in favor of the Palestinian cause.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Morocco’s ambassador to Bahrain, Mustapha Benkhyi, at the opening of the 54th session of the Arab Information Ministers’ Council, Bensaid stressed that Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, continues to firmly support the Palestinian people in obtaining all their legitimate rights, first and foremost their right to establish their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders with Al-Quds as its capital.

Bensaid noted that the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency, under the personal supervision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, is pursuing its missions to improve the living conditions of the Holy City’s inhabitants and respond directly to their needs through economic, social, housing, education and cultural projec
ts, with a budget of nearly 65 million dollars, encompassing 200 major projects and dozens of small and medium-sized projects.

He added that the Moroccan presidency of the Arab Information Ministers’ Council took place in a delicate context marked by a strong dynamic in the media and communication sector, in light of the profound geopolitical upheavals in the Arab region.

In this context, he said, it had become necessary to focus collective efforts on strengthening joint Arab media action, with a view to qualifying it, adapting it and raising its level of effectiveness.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

St. John’s – Morocco’s Ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale, highlighted, in Saint John’s in Antigua and Barbuda, the Royal vision of South-South cooperation in favor of island states, a vision that is based on solidarity.

Speaking on Tuesday at the 4th international conference on Small island developing states (May 25-28), Hilale stressed that in execution of the avant-garde Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has made South-South cooperation a strategic lever of its foreign policy, mainly through establishing an innovative cooperation model based on solidarity.

These relations of cooperation are based on sharing experiences and expertise, as well as on launching substantial development initiatives, he said, noting that from this perspective, the Kingdom attaches paramount importance to strengthening its cooperation with small island developing states (SIDS), mainly in Africa.

This commitment is illustrated by a myriad of pioneering initiatives such as the activation of the three Climate Commissi
ons of the Congo Basin, the Sahel Region and island states, said Hilale, adding that these commissions emerged from the First Summit African action.

The ambassador also cited the establishment of the Center of Competence in Climate Change which allows Morocco to share its experiences with countries and strengthen South-South cooperation in this area, indicating that the Kingdom has also launched, with African States, the Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture to Climate Change, in addition to the “Sustainability, Stability and Security” initiative.

He further recalled the creation by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection of “the African Youth Platform for the Climate” with the aim of highlighting the pioneering role of this youth in this area, as well as its ability to innovate.

The diplomat also cited the launch of the African-Atlantic States Process which embodies the wise Royal Vision aimed at making the African Atlantic space a haven of stability and prosperity, by provi
ding practical solutions to development challenges in accordance with a consultative and inclusive approach.

Regarding the issue of climate change, the ambassador underscored that Morocco remains committed at the international, regional and national levels with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the long term in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Omar Hilale also underlined that the organization of the Morocco-Pacific Island States Forum, in LaSyoune in 2020, and before that in Rabat in 2012 and 2015, is another eloquent example of the Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with small island developing States.

These commitments and initiatives are the embodiment of the proactive and united Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI who has decided to make Morocco’s expertise available to developing countries, particularly small island states, within the framework of South-South cooperation and tripartite cooperation, or within the framewo
rk of bilateral relations and avenues of international and regional cooperation.

The ambassador concluded by reaffirming Morocco’s continued commitment to contribute effectively to the implementation of the recommendations and the action plan of this 4th international conference which aims to be the appropriate platform to strengthen the development capacity of small island states in terms of resilience and to achieve the expected prosperity, mainly within the framework of South-South cooperation and tripartite cooperation.

Co-chaired by New Zealand and the Maldives, the conference, held under the theme “Charting a Path to Resilient Prosperity”, aims to assess the capacity of SIDS to achieve sustainable development, including achieving 2030 Agenda and achieve its sustainable development goals.

On this occasion, Ambassador Hilale was elected Vice-President of the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States on behalf of the African group.

This conference should result in an intergovernmen
tal agreed policy outcome document that is forward-looking and provides practical recommendations, according to the organizers.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Rabat – Morocco was re-elected, in the person of Mahjoub El Haiba, to the UN Human Rights Committee, during the elections held on Wednesday in New York, on the occasion of the 40th Meeting of States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Elected by an overwhelming majority with 120 votes in favor, Morocco was running against fifteen other candidates for one of the nine vacant positions in the Committee for the period 2025-2028, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates said in a press release.

This re-election attests anew to the credibility and trust enjoyed by the action of the Kingdom, under the High Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, to promote human rights and their effectiveness, both through the democratic reforms undertaken at the national level, and through the initiatives undertaken by Morocco at the multilateral level in this area.

This electoral success is also part of the strategy implemented by Morocco,
in accordance with the High Royal Guidelines, to put its expertise and experience in the various priority areas of multilateral action at the service of UN bodies, as a responsible and committed actor in the international community.

This re-election crowns a large-scale promotional campaign led by the entire diplomatic apparatus of the Kingdom.

El Haiba, currently a university professor, boasts a long career in the field of human rights. He previously held the positions of Secretary General of the Advisory Council for Human Rights (now the National Human Rights Council) and First Inter-ministerial Delegate for Human Rights.

Since his first election to the Human Rights Committee, El Haiba has endeavored to strengthen the working methods of this important conventional body.

The Human Rights Committee, composed of eighteen experts elected by the States Parties according to equitable geographical distribution, is in charge of monitoring the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political R
ights by these States, adopted in 1966.

It is an important body given its mandate to examine the reports of States Parties on the implementation of the Covenant, to prepare general observations on the obligations arising therefrom and to examine communications relating to violations of this instrument.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse