The New President of the Andean Parliament Hails Morocco's Position and Role in Consolidating South-South Cooperation
A delegation from the National Parliamentary Representation to the Andean Parliament took part in its August Session, which ran from August 24 to 26, 2023.
The delegation from the Moroccan Parliament included:
- Rep. Fatine El Ghali (Group of the National Rally of Independents),
- Rep. Mohammed Touimi Benjelloun (Group of Authenticity and Modernity),
- Cllr. Abdelkader Salama (Group of the National Rally of Independents).
The Session was marked by a meeting between the members of the National Representation and Ms. Cristina Reyes Hidalgo, President of the Andean Parliament. The meeting was an opportunity for the Moroccan parliamentarians to present the congratulations of the Speakers of the two Houses of the Moroccan Parliament to Ms. Cristina Reyes following her election as President of the Andean Parliament. The Moroccan delegation also welcomed the distinguished relations uniting the Moroccan and Andean Parliaments, underlining the Moroccan legislative institution's willingness to translate this progress into work projects, a roadmap with clear objectives, and active mechanisms. They also pointed out that Morocco's accession to the Andean Parliament is part of its strategic choice in the field of South-South Cooperation, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist and glorify him.
For her part, the President of the Andean Parliament praised Morocco's position and its role in consolidating South-South Cooperation. She also affirmed the pride of the components of this body in the presence of the Moroccan Parliament at the proceedings of the General Assembly, underlining its high regard for the Kingdom of Morocco and its solidarity initiatives, "thus qualifying it to be a link between Africa, the Arab world, and the countries of the Andean Community." Accompanied by Mr. Eduardo Chiliquinga Mazon, Secretary General of the Andean Parliament, the President underlined her pride in the presence of members of the Moroccan Parliament at this Session, as well as the importance of this presence in exchanging and sharing expertise and benefiting from Morocco's leading experience, particularly in the fields of alternative energies, water policy, in addition to the national strategy for the integration of migrants in the Kingdom of Morocco and its management of migration issues in general.
In this context, the new President of the Andean Parliament underlined the pioneering role of the Moroccan Parliament in consolidating relations with the countries of the Andean community. Besides, she called for the investment of the visit by the representatives of the two Houses of the Moroccan Parliament to gain first-hand knowledge and contribute to the introduction of the Kingdom's leading experiences in several fields, including its achievements in promoting the role of women, managing migratory flows, agricultural policy, and renewable energies.
It should be noted that the Moroccan Parliament and the Andean Parliament signed a memorandum of understanding in July 2018 aimed at establishing channels of parliamentary communication and interaction through the exchange of visits, experiences, expertise, information, and documents. Under this memorandum, the Moroccan Parliament was granted advanced partner status within this parliamentary body.