Rabat – Moroccan and Latin American officials met in Rabat yesterday to discuss means of strengthening relations between their legislative institutions.
Morocco’s Speaker of the House of Representatives, Habib El Malki, and Speaker of the House of Advisors, Hakim Benchamach, held talks with Speaker of the Latin American Parliament Jorge Esteban Pizarro Soto.
The officials welcomed an initiative to create a parliamentary forum that includes the legislative representation of African, Latin American, and Caribbean states.
The forum should operate as a space for cooperation and offer a mechanism for parliamentary political dialogue, debates, and strategic consultations.
Parliamentary diplomacy between Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean would promote regional integration and South-South cooperation. It would also foster commercial interests and human ties between the three regions.
El Malki, Benchamach, and Pizarro expressed satisfaction with the meeting, calling it a reflection of their commitment to the forum’s implementation.
The officials agreed to organize two events.
The first event, scheduled for July 2020, is a symposium dedicated to the speakers of regional and continental parliaments.
The second event, scheduled for September 2020, is an international symposium to debate issues of a common nature and mark the effective launch of the African-Latin American-Caribbean parliamentary forum.
The three speakers also agreed to set up an administrative unit to facilitate and intensify contacts between members of the parliamentary forum and to organize a discussion of the common challenges facing the members’ states.
During a press conference after the meeting, El Malki highlighted the efforts aimed at building new links between Africa and Latin America, indicating the seriousness of all stakeholders.
Benchamach commended the strong relations between Morocco and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, as they gradually evolve towards a solid partnership.
Pizarro, meanwhile, stressed the importance of promoting the parliamentary forum in a sustainable manner, noting the great progress made in relations between the parliaments of the two continents “despite the difficulties encountered by some countries.”
To this end, the Latin American speaker called for stronger political dialogue and the acceleration of the launching of the Forum.
Pizarro, a Chilean senator, also met with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita yesterday during his official visit to Morocco.
Following the meeting, the politician expressed his support for the UN-led political process in Western Sahara that aims to find an agreed-upon and mutually acceptable solution to end the conflict.
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