Following a Joint Meeting with House of Representatives Chaired by Habib El Malki, the Pacific Alliance Monitoring Inter-Parliamentary Commission Reiterates Its Support to Proposal of Autonomy in Southern Provinces of the Kingdom

The Pacific Alliance Monitoring Inter-Parliamentary Commission (CISAP) reiterated its support to the proposal of autonomy in the southern provinces of the Kingdom with respect for the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco, as proposed by Morocco in 2007 and lauded by the UN Security Council and several countries.

According to a joint statement following talks between Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki and the members of the Pacific Alliance Monitoring Inter-Parliamentary Commission lead by Miguel Ángel Calisto on Monday, October 19^th, 2020, via videoconference, the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Pacific Alliance Monitoring Inter-Parliamentary Commission commit to elaborating a cooperation agreement that establishes a permanent relationship, joint activities, and exchange of experiences, especially that the Parliament of the Kingdom of Morocco enjoys the status of observing member within the Commission.

In his address on this occasion, Mr. Habib El Malki noted that the Kingdom of Morocco is the first Arab and African country to join, as an observing member, the promising integrative initiative launched by Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, and called The Pacific Ocean Alliance. He also added that the Kingdom of Morocco had put South-South Cooperation for development at the heart of its foreign policy, which "pushes us continuously to integrate with Africa, to which we belong, and to open up to Latin America, with which we share a common historical heritage and similar future aspirations."

On his part, Mr. Miguel Ángel Calisto noted that the Pacific Ocean Alliance that is formed of four countries, namely Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, includes 59 observing countries, and constitutes the seventh economy of the world with about 40% of the gross domestic product of Latin America. He also stressed that the Alliance is keen to consolidate its cooperation ties with the Kingdom of Morocco as part of South-South Cooperation, noting that Morocco is a bridge towards African countries, which "opens new horizons for complementarity between the two regions."

The Commission members highlighted the importance of consolidating cooperation with Morocco, who "plays a pioneering role in the region and has a dynamic and varied economy and is a gate towards the African market."

The meeting was also attended by Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Chile Kenza El Ghali.