Among the greatest cyclical constants of Moroccan diplomacy traced by His Majesty King Mohammed VI from the beginning of his reign are prominently the diversified and multi-sectoral South-South partnerships and the policy of openness – or rather of reopening of the Kingdom – on its depth and its African extensions, a prodigious doctrine according to which, moreover, “Africa must have confidence in Africa” by ensuring strongly and resolutely that it takes its destiny into its own hands.
“We call for an enterprising and daring Africa taking up its challenges and transforming them into opportunities”, had solemnly proclaimed His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
It is precisely within the framework of this new model of diplomacy which – it is no coincidence – goes hand in hand with the route designed by the Sovereign concerning the new model of development at the national level on which both harm the government team, that a delegation from the Moroccan Parliament is taking part, from March 6 to 17, in the work of the permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament which are held at the headquarters of the Continental Legislative Institution in Midrand, South Africa.
The president of the Socialist Group in the Chamber of Councillors, Youssef Aïdi, who is also coordinator of the Moroccan parliamentary section, having taken part in the said work of the Pan-African Commission, alongside deputies and councilors representing different political parties, was the guest of the television channel “MEDI 1 TV”.
During this meeting, which essentially revolved around the activation and promotion of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAF), Parliamentary Counsel Ittihadi indicated that the meeting of the Trade, Customs and immigration which is held within the framework of the sitting of the standing committees of the sixth legislature of the PAP is both a formal meeting in that it is held four times a year under AU rules and circumstantial in with regard to the theme on which its discussions focus, in line with the recommendations of the last African summit.
In this regard, he referred to the Speech delivered by His Majesty the King in 2013 in Côte d’Ivoire which had emphasized the crucial need for African affairs to be taken over by Africans themselves.
Youssef Aïdi put forward, in this sense, that this Royal reflection certainly reflects the opportune option of creating this free trade area because it comes objectively from the observation of the situation of the African continent which has great wealth natural resources, promising economic potential and a considerable demographic asset capable of ensuring a certain economic and political sovereignty and the ability to control its partnerships and to establish coalitions guaranteeing its common development.
The president of the Socialist Group in the House of Councilors and coordinator of the Moroccan parliamentary section of the AU specified that the thematic commissions, although they are struggling in favor of the implementation of an African free trade area, come up against certain reluctance and certain maneuvers mysteriously opposed to this great undertaking, especially since the African parliamentary institution does not yet have the competence to issue resolutions of a binding nature for the Member States. This, he added, depends on the outcome of the process of ratification of the Malabu protocol which could favor a qualitative advance capable of conferring on African continental legislation the binding character necessary for the establishment of community projects as timely than relevant.
Regarding the importance of the active presence of the Kingdom of Morocco in the emergence of the African community as a continental power weighing its weight in the geostrategic, demographic and economic configuration on the international chessboard, the USFPeist parliamentary adviser Youssef Aïdi underlined that Morocco draws its strength from its historical reference based on the intransigent position of His Majesty King Mohammed V, precursor of African Unity and one of the first founders of this continental whole, as well as on the central square that the late Hassan II underpinned throughout the process of creating the Organization of African Unity, an action perpetuated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI who has never ceased to deploy himself in favor of the development of the continent, development of African countries and the establishment of real cooperation and fruitful equal partnerships, highlighting the relevance of South-South dialogue and exchanges.
Asked about the climate in which the participation of the Moroccan party stands out, Youssef Aïdi highlighted the capital respect and credibility, prevailing in the presence of our country in the midst of the various cogs of the Pan-African Institution.
Thereupon, concerning the action of the Moroccan delegation on a land fundamentally hostile to the national cause, South Africa being, alongside Algeria, one of the great supporters of the separatist thesis of the band of mercenaries of the polisario, parliamentarian ittihadi highlighted the growing support shown by the overwhelming majority of African countries to the Kingdom regarding the issue of its territorial integrity and its African policy. He evoked, in this regard, the maneuvers and low blows hatched by the enemies of the Kingdom, totally fruitless attempts in front of the vigilance and the wisdom of the Moroccan actors and their partners and supporters across the continent.
In this context, develops Youssef Aïdi, the Kingdom is clearly distinguished by the unconditional adoption of the principles of sovereignty, political independence and economic autonomy advocated by the pan-African organization and therefore presents itself as one of the leaders of the struggle for total emancipation from the yoke of dependency and alignment with such and such a policy from elsewhere, adding further that to this end our country demonstrates its attachment to the creation of the free zone exchange, central subject of the work of this meeting.
As a result, the nuisances perpetrated by certain parties, which are also a minority and increasingly isolated on the African scene, are proving to be very insignificant, he noted, especially since the Kingdom has made grandiose diplomatic advances. translated by the almost unanimous position of African countries in favor of the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco, endorsed by the United Nations and approved by the overwhelming majority of the components of the international community.
Admittedly, the enemies of the Kingdom are deploying all the stratagems and maneuvers aimed at the exclusion and marginalization of our country at the level of the bodies and structures of the African Union, but thanks to tenacious vigilance and diplomatic action that is both gentle and pragmatic headed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Kingdom is gradually managing to carve out important and decisive positions in the most relevant bodies of the Pan-African organization.
On the other hand, addressing the crucial priority place occupied by the defense of the National Cause in the debates and discussions through all the bodies of the Pan-African Institution, the coordinator of the Moroccan parliamentary section highlighted the favorable position quasi-unanimous of the member countries because of the fairness, the international legality and the historical legitimacy but also of the seriousness and the credibility which characterize the Moroccan plea, intransigent as for the interdependence of the cooperation of the Kingdom with the objective observation of the legitimacy of the question of its territorial integrity…
The interview granted by Youssef Aïdi to Medi 1 TV did not, in any case, fail to evoke the controversial and ambiguous French attitude displayed with regard to Morocco but also more generally with regard to Africa.
On this subject, we are entitled to raise on the sidelines of this televised performance, which is incidentally and urgently appropriate, that Emmanuel Macron’s team, blinded by narrow and selfish geostrategic interests, persists in its ignorance of the new reality of Moroccan international and continental politics and persists in its incoherent balancing act and its incongruous and subjective positions clinging to an obsolete colonialist past, combined with a haughty posture of a master giver of lessons in the face of submissive “natives” and dependent.
Macron’s France does not realize that the African continent is globalizing at all levels and that Morocco is capable of competing there thanks to the far-sighted and calm vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, putting forward a vast and multisectoral program of South-South partnerships and equal cooperation with African countries, especially sub-Saharan ones.
This is what explains why this wandering and this risky approach came to complete the dizzying loss of influence of France in the evolution and future of African society, thanks, of course, to an unexpected competitor. , in this case, Morocco which, willy-nilly, is gaining ground while the weight of France is dwindling on African soil, and this for more than two decades. Moreover, Emmanuel Macron’s last tour in 4 Central African countries, an attempt to launch a “new partnership” suffered a bitter failure and turned into a diplomatic fiasco illustrated by an unprecedented sequence in Kinshasa where the tendency was fundamentally overthrown, the French president being “taught the lesson” by his Congolese counterpart…