Download logo
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, MFA Nasser Bourita, said on Friday, March 4, 2022 in Rabat, that Morocco will resolutely commit to achieving the objectives of the initiative of the "South-South Parliamentary Dialogue Forum" of Senates and equivalent Councils of Africa, the Arab World, Latin America and the Caribbean and give it the necessary momentum.
Speaking at the opening of the "Forum of South-South Parliamentary Dialogue" of Senates and Equivalent Councils of Africa, the Arab World, Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by the House of Advisors under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, MFA Bourita said that Morocco, an active member of the United Nations, concerned about adhering to the principles of international law, will be resolutely committed to achieving the objectives of this initiative and will give it the necessary impetus, so that it will be a space for dialogue and win-win cooperation, while ensuring that the interests of all members are taken into account.
MFA Bourita also noted that the Kingdom of Morocco will spare no effort to support any initiative to strengthen this distinguished dimension of parliamentary diplomacy, and mobilize its experience and capabilities to establish an ambitious partnership to serve the objectives of the peoples of these spaces.
He added that many experiences of previous rapprochement or integration initiatives, in various forms, have proven that their ability to achieve the desired objectives is dependent on their avoidance of attempts to involve them in controversial issues that oppose the aspirations and objectives of their founders, and thus turn them into a terrain of conflict and ideological alignment and an attempt to win fictitious battles whose real parties have failed to promote them at the international level, especially in terms of international legitimacy, of which the UN remains the most efficient multilateral space to resolve them.
This forum, added MFA Bourita, represents more than 2.2 billion people, and brings together countries whose combined Gross Domestic Product exceeds 8,200 billion dollars. These countries have enormous potential for joint development, wealth creation, profitable investment, and commercial, technological, and cultural exchanges, stressing that "in the international and regional reality in which we live, parliamentary unions and regional parliaments have become much more important, especially for the countries of the South, in that they play a leading role in the reflection and collective search for pragmatic and effective responses to the various challenges facing our countries and societies today.
Morocco's conviction is that the current and future challenges facing the peoples of the South require the adoption of a collective approach, based on the principle of common development, taking into account the needs and specificities of each country, and working to enhance its national efforts in the context of a participatory approach at the regional or provincial level, noted MFA Bourita, recalling, in this context, that the process of reforms and major development projects that the Kingdom has experienced under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI is a real lever for development that places Morocco among the leading countries that have accumulated a significant record of expertise and good practices, qualifying it to contribute effectively to the path of regional and interregional development.
Thanks to the experience that Morocco has accumulated in several strategic and vital sectors, such as renewable energy, food security, sustainable exploitation of natural resources, as well as new technologies and pharmaceutical industries, the Kingdom occupies a special position at the regional and continental level and opens prospects for dialogue and cooperation with friendly and brotherly countries, especially in Africa, the Arab world, Latin America and the Caribbean, and this in the context of a South-South cooperation based on active solidarity, mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win partnership, noted MFA Bourita.
The Councils gathered today include, by their nature, specialized skills and expertise and professional and territorial representations able to convey the aspirations and concerns of citizens and the bodies they represent, which will have "a positive impact on the quality of initiatives and proposals that you will discuss in this forum, and give them a practical aspect able to make them more feasible and traceable in the field".
MFA Bourita stressed that constructive dialogue and exchange of views between these institutions would bring together the peoples and countries of regions that share deep human, cultural and civilizational values, as well as develop mechanisms for integration, cooperation and exchange of experiences and best practices in vital areas, such as stimulating economic growth, increasing competitiveness, promoting social integration and the reduction of disparities and improving territorial development and governance.
He said, in this sense, confident that "this forum will contribute to the coordination of political positions in international forums on issues of common interest to the peoples of our regions, within the framework of full respect for the principles and customs of international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries”.
The Minister considered that the parliamentary diplomatic work has become a parallel dimension to the governmental diplomatic work, especially in countries that have made the democratic path a strategic choice that values the constitutional competences entrusted to the legislative institutions and recognizes them as an important actor in the strengthening of cooperation ties between peoples and the promotion of security and peace in the world.
MFA Bourita also expressed his satisfaction with the achievements of the various parliamentary gatherings in recent years, through joint action against the problems facing the peoples of Africa and the Arab world, as well as the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, and this in light of the rapid changes and growing challenges that these regions are going through both at the political and security levels as well as the economic, social and environmental levels.
"In the Kingdom of Morocco, we are proud of the tireless action of the two Houses of the Moroccan Parliament, of its active participation in many regional parliamentary forums in Africa and the Arab world, and of its dynamism in Latin America and the Caribbean, through an effective participation in the work of the sessions to which it is invited and by contributing to the exchange of experiences in the legislative fields, while the best example is the recent inauguration of the library bearing the august name of HM King Mohammed VI at the headquarters of the Parliament of Latin America and the Caribbean (Parlatino) in the Panamanian capital, Panama City," he concluded.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
