Assahafa.com
Moroccan Speaker of the House of Councillors Mohamed Ould Errachid and French Senate President Gérard Larcher met on Wednesday to discuss strengthening parliamentary cooperation.
During videoconference talks, Ould Errachid welcomed the distinguished relations between the two institutions, stressing the significance of the meeting, which followed President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco at the invitation of HM King Mohammed VI, as stated in a press release from the House of Councillors.
Moroccan Speaker of the House pointed out that this visit marked a new chapter in the shared history and future of the two countries, strengthened by the signing of the Declaration on ‘Reinforced Exceptional Partnership’ between Rabat and Paris.
He emphasized the importance of the parliamentary dimension in fostering bilateral relations, notably through two essential mechanisms and two distinct platforms for strategic parliamentary dialogue, namely the parliamentary friendship groups and the Morocco-France Parliamentary Forum.
These two mechanisms, he added, have established a permanent institutional dialogue through the regular exchange of visits and joint meetings, calling for the 5th edition of the Forum to keep pace with the new phase of the exceptional partnership between the two countries.
Ould Errachid also praised the France’s historic position on the Kingdom’s territorial integrity, along with the speech delivered by the French President to the Moroccan Parliament.
He stressed that this historic position was part of the growing international support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, which enjoys strong backing from the international community.
He also noted that Larcher’s forthcoming visit to Morocco would provide an opportunity to pursue joint efforts, coordination and consultation, while giving real impetus to parliamentary relations between the two institutions, in the service of common interests and the two friendly peoples.
For his part, the President of the French Senate praised the strong ties between both countries, highlighting that they represent a unique model of bilateral relations built over decades of cooperation and a comprehensive partnership.
In this regard, he emphasized the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in supporting the renewed momentum of Morocco-France relations, given the exceptional partnership established by the leaders of both countries, as outlined in the joint declaration that concluded the French President’s state visit to Morocco.
The French Senate President also emphasized the role of friendship groups in strengthening the Morocco-France parliamentary partnership and promoting bilateral parliamentary work, within the context of France’s historic position supporting Morocco’s territorial integrity and the autonomy initiative for the Southern Provinces, as the only basis for a just and lasting political solution.
Source: map
