Assahafa.com
A Moroccan parliamentary delegation took part on Saturday in Cairo in the Forum of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) and the Summit of Speakers of Parliaments, held under the theme “Strengthening economic cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean and relaunching the Barcelona Process on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.”
Led by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Abdelmajid Fassi Fihri, the Moroccan delegation included several members of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.
The PA-UfM forum, the summit of parliamentary presidents, and related meetings examined various ways of strengthening economic cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Barcelona Process.
Speaking at the event, Fassi Fihri noted that strengthening dialogue and peace and reinforcing ties between the peoples and countries of the Mediterranean basin are the cornerstones for building a common future based on cooperation and integration.
While recalling the thirty past years in the context of a promising geopolitical phase, marked by the beginning of a positive dynamic and progress made in the Middle East conflict and culminating in the Madrid Conference and the Oslo Agreements, he emphasized that this context had encouraged several Mediterranean parliamentary institutions to establish Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary cooperation capable of supporting the peace process.
For his part, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Councillors, Yahfadouh Ben M’Barek, emphasized the need to establish joint parliamentary action between the two shores of the Mediterranean as a genuine partnership, particularly in the economic field, in order to address common challenges and achieve development and stability in the region.
He considered that the choice of the theme “Strengthening economic cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean” reflects a strategic awareness of the need to move from a logic of political dialogue to genuine economic partnership, capable of responding to shared challenges and creating new prospects for growth and development.
The Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives, Hanafy Ali Gebaly, for his part, noted that “the Barcelona Process, whose anniversary we are commemorating today, was a historic milestone and a cornerstone of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, placing it among the most important international models for achieving comprehensive regional cooperation.”
He said that this meeting represents a real opportunity to take stock of the progress made by the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, to assess its achievements, and to address with realism and courage the challenges facing the Euro-Mediterranean region, which is considered a single civilizational space with inseparable destinies.
In turn, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the UfM, Mohamed Aboul Eineine, welcomed the launch of the new Mediterranean Pact, which “embodies a clear ambition and provides an updated political framework for our partnership, linking investment to ecological and digital transition, the creation of decent jobs, especially for youth and women, and migration management based on human rights and dignity, within a framework of security, stability, and respect for human rights.”
The success of the Pact will not be measured by the relevance of its texts, he stated, but by its tangible results and its ability to transform itself into a more balanced “Contract” between the two shores of the Mediterranean, reflecting everyone’s priorities and based on shared responsibility and joint opportunities.
The Forum and the Summit of Speakers of Parliaments were preceded by preparatory meetings of the five committees of the Parliamentary Assembly of the UfM, held on Friday, as well as by two meetings of the Bureau and the enlarged Bureau of the Assembly.
Source: map
