Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Hassan Benomar, Receives Head of the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Hassan Benomar, received on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at the seat of the House, the Chief Executive Officer of the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, Mr. Janne Taalas, currently on a working visit to the Kingdom of Morocco with some Foundation members.

The meeting also featured the presence of Rep. Brahim Khaya (Group of the National Rally of Independents) and Rep. El Amine El Bakkali Tahiri (Socialist Group).

At the onset of the meeting, Rep. Hassan Benomar welcomed the Finnish delegation and noted that the meeting was an excellent opportunity to construct a communication bridge between the two friendly countries. In the same respect, Rep. Hassan Benomar stressed the keenness of the Kingdom of Morocco to establish the State of institutions and its commitment to the democratic values in political practice and to build an atmosphere of political plurality and coexistence between religions under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Commander of the Faithful.

On the same occasion, the Deputy Speaker of the House invited northern European countries, notably Finland, to visit the Kingdom of Morocco and initiate relations with its officials and the members of the Parliament and civil society, in order to learn about the progress of the Kingdom in democratic construction and economic advancement. Furthermore, Rep. Hassan Benomar also invited the Finnish delegation to visit the Kingdom's southern provinces to review their recent economic growth.

During the same meeting, Rep. Brahim Khaya gave a brief overview of the Moroccan Sahara cause. In the same vein, he stressed the strong will of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the autonomy plan it had proposed as a realistic solution to this artificial conflict, to pursue the development of the southern regions by implementing a promising development model that would be a lever to support the natural and human resources of the said provinces.

On the same note, Rep. El Amine El Bakkali Tahiri stated that the Moroccan Sahara cause unites all components of the Moroccan society, including the King, the Government, and the people. He also added that the development process in the Moroccan Sahara is led by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who stressed, in his latest speech on the 47th Green March Anniversary, the necessity to pursue the economic, social, and humanitarian development in the southern provinces. The Moroccan Representative also noted that the development program devoted to the southern provinces aims to accelerate social and economic inclusion in the Moroccan Sahara.

For his part, Mr. Janne Taalas explained the roles of the Foundation, which is an independent Finnish organization that aims to prevent and resolve international conflicts through mediation and dialogue. In the same respect, he added that the Foundation has branches in 20 world States that witness conflicts and intervenes whenever the parties request the creation of professional and impartial dialogue mechanisms.

Besides, Mr. Janne Taalas noted that the Foundation works on supervising and providing recommendations regarding democratic construction and transition, encouraging participation within parties, supporting women, and promoting peace-building through digital media.

The Finnish delegation also emphasized the importance of the visit, which serves as an opportunity to review the Moroccan experience in democratic construction and its approach to managing conflicts, especially the ones in northern Africa. They also raised several questions about parliamentary action mechanisms, particularly those related to legislation.