Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Mohamed Sabbari, Receives Delegation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration of the OSCE PA

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Mohamed Sabbari, received on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at the Seat of the House in Rabat, a delegation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, currently on a working visit to the Kingdom. 

During the reception, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives briefed the members of said Committee on the policy of migration and asylum adopted by the Kingdom of Morocco in 2013 following the high directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, based on respecting the rights and dignity of the migrants by including them and granting them all their rights, equally to Moroccan citizens. 

In the same respect, Rep. Mohamed Sabbari noted that this strategy has enabled the settlement of the legal situation of thousands of migrants, while the ones desiring to return to their home countries were transferred via the voluntary return operations conducted by the International Organization for Migration. He added that the Kingdom settled the situation of more than 50,000 migrants through two exceptional operations launched in 2014 and 2016 to integrate the illegal migrants, while it settled the situation of 2300 asylum seekers in 2023.

Besides, Rep. Mohamed Sabbari underscored that upon the proposal of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, being the African Union’s Pioneer in Migration, the year 2018 featured the establishment of the African Migration Observatory that now operates as an efficient tool for Africa to meet its pressing needs and gain a better understanding of the phenomenon of migration. 

On the same occasion, the Deputy Speaker of the House shed light on the efforts of the Parliament and the Government of the Kingdom to counter crime organizations and tighten the criminal sanctions to curb illegal migration and human trafficking. 

In his interaction with the questions of the members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, Rep. Mohamed Sabbari stated that the Kingdom of Morocco follows with great attention the developments of the migration phenomenon and works on finding adequate solutions to it. 

He also noted that the Kingdom is a reliable partner in dealing with this phenomenon and that migration is a complex subject given the geographical location of the Kingdom, which has made it both a transit and residence country at the same time.

Rep. Mohamed Sabbari also noted that countering migration requires joining efforts by all countries, resolving conflicts, particularly in Africa, addressing the repercussions of climate change and drought, and creating cooperation and balance between continents to achieve economic development and political stability. 

For her part, the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Ms. Daniela De Ridder, praised, on behalf of the delegation members, the efforts and reforms conducted by the Kingdom of Morocco in migration, adding that the Kingdom has become a role model in the area. 

She also called for reinforcing cooperation and exchanging experiences and expertise between the Committee and the Kingdom.