Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives Meets Speaker of Chamber of Deputies and Vice-President of Senate of the Republic of Rwanda

As part of his participation in the 12^th Conference of Speakers of Legislative Assemblies and Chairpersons of Parliamentary Representations under the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, which took place on May 25-28 in Kigali, Rwanda, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohammed Touimi Benjelloun held two meetings on Friday, May 28, 2021, with the Speaker of the Rwandan Chamber of Deputies Mukabalisa Donatille and the Vice-President of the Rwandan Senate Nyirasafari Espérance.

M. Mohammed Touimi Benjelloun in his meeting with Speaker of Rwandan Chamber of Deputies Mukabalisa Donatille

In his first meeting with the Speaker of the Rwandan Chamber of Deputies Mukabalisa Donatille, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives lauded the level of friendship and cooperation ties linking the Kingdom of Morocco to the Republic of Rwanda, which has witnessed a peculiar dynamic lately following the visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the Republic of Rwanda in October 2016 and the visit of His Excellency President Paul Kagamé to the Kingdom of Morocco in June 2016. The two visits enabled the opening of new promising horizons to uplift the level of bilateral relations between the two countries in all areas, especially considering that the two countries' leaders share the same ambitious vision of developing Africa and consolidating South-South cooperation.

Mr. Touimi Benjelloun commended the democratic transition in Rwanda and noted the distinguished and important role of this friend country at the regional and continental levels in achieving African inclusion, in addition to its commitment to establishing security, peace, and stability in Africa. The Deputy Speaker also praised the noteworthy participation of Rwandan women in the Parliament and their leading role in the society and decision-making positions.

The Deputy Speaker also hailed the position of the Republic of Rwanda in favor of the return of the Kingdom of Morocco to its normal and legitimate position within the African Union. In this respect, he affirmed that the connection of the Kingdom to Africa stems from a profound belief in the future of the continent; the same belief that has always pushed Morocco to advocate the just and noble causes of Africa in international fora in the face of conflicts, terrorism, extremism, and other threats.

Mr. Touimi Benjelloun reiterated the keenness of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco to giving new impetus to the parliamentary cooperation between the two countries through reinforcing the mechanisms of dialogue and consultation between the two legislative institutions through the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding and the formation of the Morocco-Rwanda Parliamentary Friendship Group. This aims to establish a strong partnership via exchanging expertise and experiences and intensifying coordination and consultation in the various regional and international parliamentary fora on the issues of mutual concern. 

As for the Moroccan Sahara, Mr. Touimi Benjelloun praised the position of the Republic of Rwanda in favor of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco and its sovereignty over all its territory.

For her part, the Speaker of the Rwandan Chamber of Deputies affirmed the importance of political will and convergence of views between the leaders of both countries, His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Excellency President Paul Kagamé, regarding development in all its aspects in both countries and the establishment of a renewed and model South-South partnership that meets the aspirations of the friendly countries and their peoples.

Ms. Mukabalisa Donatille stressed the importance of parliamentary cooperation between the two legislative institutions and its role in strengthening and deepening the bilateral relations linking the two countries. She also affirmed the importance of forming a parliamentary friendship group. In the same respect, she invited the Speaker of the House of Representatives to perform a working visit to the Republic of Rwanda to finalize the memorandum of understanding between the two institutions.

M. Mohammed Toumi Benjelloun in his meeting with Vice-President of the Rwandan Senate Nyirasafari Esperance

On another note, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives held a second meeting with the Vice-President of the Rwandan Senate, Nyirasafari Espérance. The meeting tackled mainly the means to elevate the bilateral relations and move towards further coordination and cooperation between the two Houses, and the follow-up by parliamentarians of the agreements concluded between the two countries in different areas.

The meetings were also attended by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Republic of Rwanda, Youssef Imani.