Address of Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami before the Students of the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez at First African and Euro-Mediterranean Youth Summit of the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Peace and Prayer be upon His Messenger, His kith, and kin

Esteemed President of the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez,

Dear students of this international University, 

Honorable professors and executives of the University, 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

In this moment of symbolic, civilizational, and scientific nature, I would like to welcome you to the Seat of the House of Representatives in Rabat on the occasion of the 8^th Summit of Speakers of Parliaments and the 17^th Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, hosted by the House of Representatives. 

You must already be aware of the details and qualitative value of this parliamentary gathering, as well as of our collective stakes regarding the convention of this Summit with all its components and regarding its outcomes that we know are of utmost importance to our work and our Mediterranean, Euro-Mediterranean, and Afro-Mediterranean relations. We are also aware that this parliamentary framework is not limited to its political and diplomatic functions, but also covers some profound civilizational and humanitarian aspects. 

I am pleased to welcome you all and to commend your active participation in this prominent Euro-Mediterranean event; as students belonging to more than 20 African and Mediterranean countries and pursuing your graduate studies at the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez, through your contribution to some of the interests and themes debated in the Conference. Besides, the most crucial matter is that you will share with us, and with everyone, the Youth Declaration, a declaration of friendship and brotherhood, of peace and love; a declaration of the future in which your meeting today will culminate. 

I must also commend the efforts of your University and its President, Professor Mostapha Bousmina, alongside his scientific and pedagogical team, in elaborating a constructive vision that has rendered this Euro-Mediterranean University a civilizational, knowledge, educational, and scientific beacon, and in extending bridges between its Euro-Mediterranean identity and its African depth. The University has hence become a destination for many renowned professors and researchers specializing in various fields as part of distinguished international partnerships. 

Such an achievement could not have been possible without the identity of the University, the architecture of its poles, and its multiple specializations that attract attention and interest and are a scientific and knowledge center of attraction. Allow me, in this respect, to extend my salutations to all the members of the University's Administrative Board, Directors, Deans, Professors, and the pedagogical and administrative staff. Allow me also to praise the role of the Chair of the Alliance of Civilizations, presided over by Professor Abdelhak Azouzi, noting its contribution to this intellectual meeting under this Summit. As we are all aware, this Chair was created in cooperation with the UN Alliance of Civilizations, given the historical and civilizational position of the long-standing city of Fez that proudly hosts the oldest University in human history, the Al-Qarawiyyin University. I should also praise the civilizational and scientific role of the various trainings pertaining to humanities and social sciences that carry the importance of constructing a Euro-Mediterranean-African dialogue that we much need in order to reinforce the fabric of the Mediterranean personality in both its Southern and Northern Shores, as well as its African and Arab extensions. 

Therefore, I do not want your presence at this Conference, as students, to be a mere formality. On the contrary, I must insist on the strategic dimension of your attendance and the contribution of your University to the horizon that we have all chosen and in which the Kingdom of Morocco has engaged in full consciousness, wisdom, and strong will, under the leadership of its Sovereign, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah glorify and assist him, who has a geopolitical and strategic vision of the position of Morocco on the Mediterranean scene, given the value that Mediterranean history and civilization represent for us as Moroccans, particularly that Morocco encloses substantial symbolic capital that has made of it a center of gravity and a model country with its regime, stability, diversity, openness, and excellence in the Mediterranean space and in the depth of Africa, and considering its role throughout history as a link between Europe and Africa and a bridge for civilizational and symbolic expressions. 

Hence, I would not be surprised that you, as a new generation, will continue to enrich the accumulations achieved by the past generations and construct a future that brings together the orientations of geography, history, economy, societies, and cultures, particularly as we speak today of strong and leading Moroccan initiatives such as linking the Sahel countries to the Atlantic, the strategic Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, and the joint investment in development infrastructure that encompasses energy, telecommunication networks, transportation, and commercial bridges and routes, etc. 

To conclude, I extend to you my heartfelt thanks, salutations, and esteem. I welcome you once again and wish you success and brilliance in all your work, training, and future quests insha'Allah. 

Thank you for your keen listening.