Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs: “Morocco is a Primary Partner of Portugal and Key Actor in Africa”

Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Habib El Malki held talks on Wednesday, January 29^th at the House’s headquarters with Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Augusto Santos Silva, currently on a working visit to Morocco.

During the meeting, attended by Portugal’s Ambassador to Morocco, Speaker of the House of Representatives lauded the distinguished ties linking Morocco and Portugal on all levels, noting the consistency of consultation between the governments of the two countries, and commending the excellent bilateral relations on the parliamentary level. In this respect, Mr. El Malki recalled the memorandum of understanding signed by the House of Representatives and the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic in 2018, which stipulates regular meetings between both countries’ deputies every two years in Lisbon and Rabat.

As concerns the case of Morocco’s territorial integrity, Mr. El Malki noted that this artificial conflict impedes the process of building a new Maghreb. He also reviewed the numerous initiatives launched by HM King Mohammed VI to open a direct dialogue with Algeria to resolve the issues standing in the way of consolidating bilateral relations and achieving the peoples’ aspirations of building the Great Maghreb. In this respect, he said, “In times where countries join forces to face challenges relating to globalization, the Maghreb region has been living under blockade for a long time.”

For his part, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that “Morocco is a primary partner of Portugal, and a key actor in Africa,” noting the steady development in cooperation relations between the two countries in politics, economy, trade, and culture. He added, “both countries share similar views concerning different regional and international issues.” He also reviewed the different aspects of cooperation between the two countries, which will be the focus of a high-level meeting they will convene this year.

Mr. Santos Silva reiterated the position of his country, who supports the UN efforts to find a political solution to the said conflict. He said, “We commend the Moroccan autonomy initiative, and we consider it a serious and credible settlement to this dispute. It is time to deal with this conflict realistically and pragmatically.”