King Mohammed VI of Morocco reaffirmed Saturday his country’s “deep and mutually profitable commitment in Africa” and expressed hope that the commitment and sincere solidarity which have always bound the Algerian and Moroccan peoples will be rekindled.
In a speech he delivered on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the “Revolution of the King and the people,” the king dwelt at length on Morocco’s cooperation and links with sub-Saharan African Countries.
Morocco’s commitment to Africa, he said, stems from a strategy that gave Africa top priority in the foreign policy of the Kingdom, which has recently expressed willingness to return to the African Union (AU) for a deeper and more fruitful rapprochement.
He recalled in this respect, the “genuine solidarity-based policy” adopted by the Kingdom regarding sub-Saharan migrants. Morocco has distanced itself from other countries, particularly southern Mediterranean countries, when it welcomed and regularized the situation of more than 30,000 African migrants as part of its new migration policy launched in 2014.
“This integrated policy, which is rooted in humanitarian values, is designed to make sure migrants’ rights and dignity are safeguarded,” the Sovereign said.
The King who pledged that Morocco “will keep up this practical, humanitarian approach” deplored that a distorted approach to migration issues was adopted in the Mediterranean. As a result, there has been no real policy to integrate migrants, he said.
Morocco has also materialized its commitment to Africa through socio-economic projects, becoming a pioneer in the continent in matters of foreign direct investment (FDI) among African countries.
Regarding relations between Morocco and Algeria, long strained by the Western Sahara issue, King Mohammed VI referred to the colonial era, which was characterized, he said, “by coordination and solidarity between the leaders of the Moroccan resistance movement and the Algerian Liberation Front.”
He expressed hope that “the commitment and sincere solidarity which have always bound the Algerian and Moroccan peoples will be rekindled (…)
As Commander of the Faithful, the Moroccan sovereign strongly condemned in his speech, the terrorists who take advantage of some young Muslims – particularly in Europe – and of their ignorance of the Arabic language and of true Islam, to spread their distorted messages and misleading promises. “Terrorists and extremists use all means to convince young people to join them in order to attack societies profoundly committed to the ideals of freedom, openness and tolerance,” he said.
Mohammed VI called on all Moroccans living abroad “to remain firmly committed to their religious values and to their time-honored traditions as they face up to this phenomenon which has nothing to do with their culture or background.”
He also urged them “to maintain their good reputation, to show forbearance in these trying circumstances, to close ranks and to be, as always, staunch advocates of peace, concord and co-existence in their country of residence.”