Speakers of the Moroccan House of Representatives and Colombian Senate Hold Talks on Positive and Continuous Parliamentary Dialogue

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami held talks on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at the seat of the House, with the Speaker of the Colombian Senate, Hon. Roy Leonardo Barreras Montealegre, currently on a working visit to the Kingdom of Morocco.

The talks between the two parties, held in the presence of the Colombian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, H.E. José Renato Salazar Acosta, focused on the bilateral ties between the two countries, which must remain positive through continuous dialogue and effective communication. The two parties also commended the bilateral and multilateral and parliamentary relations, and the roles of parliamentary diplomacy in redressing situations and clarifying positions. In the same respect, they stressed the importance of the two parliamentary friendship groups, the exchange of visits, and continuous consultation in consolidating positive and lasting relations.

At the onset of the meeting, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami thanked the Speaker of the Colombian Senate, Hon. Roy Leonardo Barreras Montealegre for the visit, noting that the Kingdom of Morocco respects the territorial integrity of States and works on the promotion of global peace and security. The Speaker of the House of Representatives added that the meeting is a positive opportunity to clarify positions and reinforce joint parliamentary dialogue, stressing that the Kingdom of Morocco respects the sovereignty of States and refuses to meddle in their internal affairs.

On the same occasion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives gave an overview of 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. In the same regard, the Speaker also highlighted the developments of the territorial integrity case and the regional and international support it enjoys, inviting Colombian parliamentarians to visit the Kingdom of Morocco to witness the actual situation of the southern provinces of the Kingdom, their development, and their prosperity closely. Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami seized the opportunity to also extend an invitation to his counterpart, the Speaker of the Colombian House of Representatives, to perform a working visit to the Kingdom of Morocco.

For his part, the Speaker of the Colombian Senate, Hon. Roy Leonardo Barreras Montealegre thanked the Speaker of the House for the warm welcome and the effective talks that reflect the depth and positivity of the bilateral and multilateral ties. In the same respect, he noted the importance of intensifying the parliamentary relations and consolidating them through the parliamentary friendship groups, continuous dialogue, and constructive consultation, to pave the way for positive Morocco-Colombia relations, and so as long distance could not be an obstacle to effective parliamentary communication between the two countries.

In his statement to the press following the talks, the Speaker of the Colombian Senate noted: "We are happy to visit the Kingdom of Morocco to strengthen the fraternal parliamentary ties between Colombia and Morocco, which have existed for 50 years." In the same statement, he added, "the Colombian Congress created a Colombia-Morocco Parliamentary Friendship Group.” Hon. Roy Leonardo Barreras Montealegre extended the invitation to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the members of the Morocco-Colombia Parliamentary Friendship Group to visit Colombia.

It should be noted that the House of Representatives enjoys the status of "observer member" within the Andean Parliament, which includes the Parliaments of Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia. The body is a powerful platform for continuous dialogue and consultation between parliamentarians from the Kingdom of Morocco and Colombia.