The Speaker of the House of Representatives Holds Talks with an Italian Parliamentary Delegation

Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi El Alami held talks on Friday, June 3, 2022, at the House in Rabat, with an Italian parliamentary delegation of the Italian Parliamentary Intergroup in support of the autonomy initiative in the Moroccan Sahara, as part of a working visit aimed at strengthening bilateral and multilateral parliamentary relations, between June 3 and 6.

The Italian parliamentary delegation is composed, from the Chamber of Deputies, of Mr. Marco Di Maio, Ms. Stefania Ascari, Mr. Allessandro Saro Alfonso Pagano and Ms. Maria Berlinghieri, and from the Senate, Ms. Urania Giulia Rosina Papatheu and Mr. Francesco Mollame.

The talks between the two parties, which took place in the presence of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Hassan Benomar, focused on ways to strengthen parliamentary cooperation relations between Morocco and Italy, as well as on many issues of common interest, such as migration, renewable energy, and food security.

As part of the interaction with the interventions of the Italian Parliament members, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami, welcomed the creation of an Italian Parliamentary Intergroup in support of the autonomy initiative in the Moroccan Sahara, welcoming this step, especially since it comes from the Italian Parliament. He also stressed that Italy supports the resolutions of the United Nations, appreciating in this context the positive position of the Italian government towards the Sahara issue, aimed at finding a political solution to this artificial conflict.

Mr. Talbi El Alami also noted that the Italian parliamentarians are fully aware of the changes in the region, adding that the stability of the northern Mediterranean states is bound by the stability of the southern Mediterranean states and that the construction of the future of Africa goes imperatively through Morocco.

For his part, Mr. Marco Di Maio expressed, on behalf of the parliamentary delegation, his firm commitment to support relations between Italy and Morocco and lay the foundations for solid cooperation between the two friendly countries, stressing that this visit embodies the desire to consolidate bilateral cooperation. In the same vein, Mr. Di Maio emphasized the support of the delegation accompanying him, composed of representatives of most parties forming the government of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and the changes and transformations that Morocco is experiencing, adding that this visit aims to strengthen political, economic, cultural and security relations, as well as to consolidate the roles of parliamentary diplomacy between the two countries, which is of great importance to the Italian parliamentary delegation.

Regarding the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, Mr. Marco Di Maio stressed that the Parliamentary Intergroup believes that the autonomy plan presented by Morocco is a serious, credible, and realistic solution. In the same respect, he added, "We hope that other countries will adopt this position and this conviction, and we will deploy our efforts to achieve this goal. Our intergroup supports the process supervised by the UN and the efforts of its Secretary-General and his Envoy to the Sahara to find an acceptable and agreed upon political solution."

In the same vein, Mr. Di Maio highlighted the role of Morocco in the fight against international terrorism, stressing that cooperation between the two countries is also embodied by the Moroccan community residing in Italy, which has played an important economic role, expressing his support for projects and investments beneficial to both countries and for cooperation in the field of renewable energies and other areas.

In their interventions, members of the Italian parliamentary delegation expressed their admiration for the achievements of the Kingdom in all areas, noting the need for dialogue and joint action between Rome and Rabat to address all challenges, including those related to renewable energy, peace, the fight against terrorism, and food security.

It should be noted that the creation of the Italian Parliamentary Intergroup in support of the autonomy initiative in the Moroccan Sahara was announced on May 31, 2022, at the initiative of several deputies and senators belonging to different Italian political groups.