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Join on Telegram Rabat – The heads of African and Caribbean delegations have praised King Mohammed VI for his efforts in promoting South-South cooperation.
The comments were made on the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which is being held September 12 to 25 in New York.
On Thursday, the Moroccan delegation to the UNGA held a reception in Morocco’s residence in New York in the presence of Nasser Bourita, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Yassine Mansouri, Director-General of Directorate of Studies and Documentation (DGED), and Omar Hilale, Moroccan Ambassador to the United Nations (UN).
During the reception, the African and Caribbean delegations expressed their appreciation for Morocco, which they said, due to the king’s clear-sighted leadership, has become a bastion of political stability and an advocate of South-South cooperation and co-development, enhancing investment and partnership in both the African continent and the Caribbean region, reported Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Guinea-Bissau’s Prime Minister, expressed his gratitude to Morocco, which in the past “showed support to several African liberation movements.” He also recalled the “great historical ties of his country to Morocco.”
Those bonds, he explained, has been renewed at “higher level under the leadership of King Mohammed VI with his many royal visits to Africa and laudable initiatives towards the continent,” said Embalo. He noted that “Morocco’s airline Royal Air Maroc was the only airline that did not stop its flights to the African countries that were affected by Ebola.”
Embalo has also emphasized that the king’s speech during the 28th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa “will be forever engraved in the memory of Africa.” The official has also recalled one of the strongest statements delivered by the King during the 28th African Union Summit, when he said, “I am home at last and happily reunited with you.”
Leonardo She Okitundu, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said that his country “appreciates positively” Morocco’s actions in Africa and the return of the country within the African Union.
“It was a very emotional moment when the sovereign marked his return to the great African family,” explained Okitundu. “Morocco has regained its place not only because it is an African country, but above all it has much to offer in terms of South-South and triangular cooperation.”
Colin Granderson, Deputy Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), pointed out that Morocco is a great friend of the Caribbean countries, with which it has “very close” cooperation relations.
Granderson also applauded Morocco’s leadership internationally and within the United Nations, including the kingdom’s commitment to actions on climate change, which he said is a high priority for Caribbean countries vulnerable to extreme weather.
