House of Representatives Unanimously Ratifies Five International Agreements as Part of Continuous Dynamic of Moroccan Diplomacy
The House of Representatives unanimously approved, on Monday, February 8th, 2021, five Government Bills ratifying five international agreements, including two bilateral agreements with Turkey and the United States of America and three multilateral ones on banning nuclear weapons, road safety, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The approval took place during a plenary sitting chaired by the Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki and attended by Minister Delegate to Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, in charge of Moroccan Expatriates Nezha El Ouafi.
The Government Bills are:
1- Government Bill 54.20 ratifying the agreement to amend the free-trade agreement between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Turkey (Rabat - August 24th, 2020);
2- Government Bill 59.20 ratifying the agreement on privileges and immunities between the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Government of the United States of America (Rabat - September 1st, 2020),;
3- Government Bill 08.20 ratifying the African Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty) (Cairo, Egypt - April 11th, 1996);
4- Government Bill 45.20 ratifying the African Road Safety Charter (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - January 31st, 2016);
5- Government Bill 60.20 ratifying the statute of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) (Beijing, China - June 29th, 2015)..
In her presentation of the Government Bills, the Minister Delegate noted that they are part of Moroccan diplomacy's continuous dynamic. They aim to broaden the scope of agreements of the Kingdom of Morocco, diversify its partnership areas, and pursue its openness on the different regions of the globe to consolidate its positioning at the continental, regional, and international levels, following the high directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him. The Minister Delegate noted that Morocco has recently become a major player at the Asia-Africa strategic partnership chain and the regional and international multilateral levels.
Government Bill 54.20 ratifies the agreement to amend the free-trade agreement concluded between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Turkey on April 7th, 2004. In this respect, the Bill stipulates the imposition, for a duration of five years, of customs duties on Turkish industrial products included in Annex 1 of the agreement, to reach 90% of the products value following the most-favored-nation clause in force.
Government Bill 59.20 ratifying the agreement on privileges and immunities between the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Government of the United States of America aims to reinforce the protection of the consulates of both countries within the other country and clarifies the immunities provided for the members of diplomatic missions and their families.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, whose statute is ratified by virtue of Government Bill 60.20, is a multilateral financial institution located in Beijing. The Bank aims to promote sustainable economic development, create wealth, advance links between infrastructures in productive sectors, encourage investment, especially in enterprises and activities that contribute to the economic development of the region, and mainly the ones related to infrastructure. The Kingdom of Morocco will become an official member of the Bank as soon as it deposits its accession documents.
Concerning the African Road Safety Charter, the Charter aims at establishing policies to improve road safety in Africa, developing comprehensive local policies for road safety, speeding up the implementation of national, regional, and continental programs, and contributing to the coordination of efforts on road safety in the continent. The Charter also aims at improving the coordination between the partners for development in this sector, supporting the engagement of the private sector, civil society, NGOs, and parliaments in the issues of road safety, and consolidating the alignment and harmony between the processes of collecting, analyzing, and publishing data on road safety.
Government Bill 08.20 ratifying the African Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone Treaty is part of the commitment of the Kingdom of Morocco to the resolution of the UN General Assembly, dated on December 11th, 1975, through an international treaty concluded under the aegis of the UN on prohibiting states from manufacturing or possessing nuclear weapons.