Rabat - The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ordered staff working in Moroccan consulates across the world to cut short their annual leave and return to work immediately.
Rabat – The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ordered staff working in Moroccan consulates across the world to cut short their annual leave and return to work immediately.
This announcement comes less than one week after King Mohammed VI’s Throne Day speech, in which the monarch criticized the misconduct of certain Moroccan consuls serving abroad.
According to news website Le360, the decision, which apparently took many by surprise, was made on Friday, July 31, one day after the Throne Day speech on Thursday, in which King Mohammed VI urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs to take firm action against consuls who mistreat the members of the Moroccan community abroad.
During the speech, the King clearly said: “There are consuls – not a majority, thank God – who neglect the mission they are entrusted with and focus on personal and political issues.”
The King has also warned that consuls or members of the consular staff “found to be guilty of neglecting their duties, flouting the interests of the Moroccan community abroad, or mistreating its members should be dismissed.”
The decision has already sent shock-waves through the consular community. Many similar measures aiming to improve services for the benefit of the Moroccan diaspora are expected to follow in the coming days.
The same source added that the decision has made many unhappy, especially among married staff members with children who were told to return to their offices as soon as possible.
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