Speakers of Moroccan House of Representatives and UK House of Commons Express Determined Will to Advance Morocco-UK Bilateral Ties towards Further Rapprochement and Complementarity

Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki held talks on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, via videoconference, with Speaker of House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Lindsay Hoyle. The talks tackled the relations between the two countries and their legislative institutions and the opportunities for cooperation between them.

In this meeting, the two parties lauded the progressing cooperation linking Morocco to the United Kingdom for centuries. They also commended the distinguished strategic partnership between the two countries and their parliaments. In the same respect, they expressed their firm will to advance the Morocco-United Kingdom bilateral ties towards further rapprochement and complementarity.

On this occasion, Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle noted, “Morocco is the beacon of stability in the region as it entrenches peace and security and plays a major role in fighting terrorism and extremism.” He also highlighted the cooperation between the two countries in fighting terrorism and consolidating security and stability. In addition, Mr. Lindsay Hoyle mentioned that youth and women's participation in the democratic process is a major challenge to democratic societies.

The Speaker of the House of Commons later shed light on the promising opportunities for cooperation between the two countries. In this context, he noted the importance of increasing agricultural exchange as "Morocco could fulfill the needs of the United Kingdom." He also underlined the available opportunities in tourism, economy, and other sectors. He added, "We share a lot in common. Morocco and the United Kingdom strengthen and need each other."

For his part, Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki stressed the keenness of the House to reinforce the parliamentary aspect of the relations linking the two Kingdoms under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and Queen Elizabeth II. He also noted that the two countries share the values of freedom, tolerance, moderation, and diversity and face the same challenges relating to security, migration, climate anomalies, and health.

Mr. El Malki stated that the United Kingdom leaving the European Union is a great chance to advance ties between the two countries. In this respect, he called to seize the available opportunities and to promote UK investments in Morocco, especially since the two countries have “complementary economies.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives presented an overview of the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara and the efforts of the Kingdom to solve the issue that is “a remnant of the cold war.” He also recalled the autonomy plan proposed by the Kingdom of Morocco and highly welcomed by the international community and the United Nations, shedding light at the same time on the enormous development that has marked the southern regions of the Kingdom.

At the parliamentary level, Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki proposed establishing a parliamentary forum between the Moroccan House of Representatives and the UK’s House of Commons to follow up the partnership and strategic dialogue between the two countries. Mr. El Malki also invited the Speaker of the UK’s House of Commons to perform an official visit to Morocco, which would be an opportunity to discuss the means for bolster cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, attended by the Chief Executive of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy Anthony Smith, the Speakers of the Moroccan House of Representatives and the UK’s House of Commons hailed the outcomes of the cooperation program linking the Moroccan House of Representatives to the Westminster Foundation for Democracy for ten years. The cooperation will enter a new phase for the next five years after concluding a memorandum in this respect.