Speaker of the House of Representatives Holds Talks with High-Level Uruguayan Parliamentary Delegation

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, received on Monday, December 5, 2022, at the seat of the House, a high-level Uruguayan delegation composed of the members of the Parliament, executives of Government sectors, and economic and commercial actors. The delegation was led by the Deputy Speaker of the Senate, Mr. Jorge Osvaldo Gandini Astesiano, currently on a working visit to the Kingdom of Morocco to take part in the Euro-Mediterranean Gulf Economic Forum of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, organized by the House of Councilors in Marrakech, on December 7-8, 2022.

The talks covered the quality of bilateral relations between the two countries, the role of parliamentary diplomacy in clearing views, coordinating positions, and turning a new page between Morocco and Uruguay based on respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of States. The two parties also expressed the importance of Morocco to Uruguay as a gate to Africa and the one of Uruguay to Morocco as a gate to South America.

At the onset of the meeting, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, thanked the Deputy Speaker of the Uruguayan Senate, Mr. Jorge Osvaldo Gandini Astesiano, and his entourage for the visit, which can be an opportunity to converge views, consolidate parliamentary dialogue, and clarify opinions and positions. The Speaker of the House of Representatives also highlighted the achievements of the Kingdom of Morocco in several areas under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah glorify and assist him. Besides, he noted the developments of the Moroccan Sahara cause and the regional and international support it enjoys, in addition to the development projects taking place in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, which have become a reference in several vital sectors.

For his part, Mr. Jorge Osvaldo Gandini Astesiano, and his entourage, thanked the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the warm welcome and open and effective dialogue, stressing that the formation of the delegation reflects the strong desire to write a new different page in the history of relations between the two countries with a view to consolidating them at the political, economic, and parliamentary levels. The Uruguayan delegation also noted that the Parliament, in its two Houses, agreed to create a Morocco-Uruguay Parliamentary Friendship Group out of the conviction of the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in building bridges of continuous communication and dialogue.

Moreover, the Uruguayan delegation stressed the imperative of overcoming the remnants of the past and constructing new relations based on cooperation and mutual respect for the States' union. In the same regard, they noted that they would work during this visit and future ones, and through the parliamentary friendship group, on building new relations between the two countries and that they will seize this visit to hold talks and perform visits that would enable them to have a closer look at the Kingdom of Morocco and its development model, and to identify the facts regarding the territorial integrity and the evolution of the southern provinces.

The delegation of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay comprises Mr. German Manuel Coutinho Rodriguez, Mr. Raul Lozano Bonet, and Mr. Mario Esteban Bergara, members of the Senate, the deputy Mr. Manuel Adrian Pena Fernandez, as well as Ms. Carina Galvalisi and Mr. Alvaro Horacio Butureira Diaz from the Secretariat. The delegation also includes the National Director of Industry and Energy, Ms. Susana Pecoy Santoro; the Deputy Minister of Industry and Energy, Mr. Walter Robinson Verri Piriz; the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Juan Ignacio Buffa Cavallero; the Head of the Fisheries Chamber, Mr. Federico Enrique Stanham Pineyro; and the Head of the National Institute of Milk and Dairy, Mr. Juan Manuel Vago Armand Ugon.

It should be noted that the House of Representatives enjoys the status of “observer member” of the Parliament of Latin America (PARLATINO) and has close ties with the Mercosur Trade Bloc Parliament (PARLASUR), which is an additional chance for dialogue and consultation between the parliamentarians of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.