Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, Nasser Bourita, held, this morning, Wednesday, bilateral talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Lebanese Republic, Abdallah Bouhabib, on the sidelines of the Ninth Global Forum of the United Nations Organization for the Alliance of Civilizations in Fez.
A joint Moroccan-Lebanese statement said, that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad, Nasser Bourita, had congratulated his Lebanese counterpart on “the success of the recent legislative elections in Lebanon, expressing the Kingdom of Morocco’s aspiration for the agreement of all Lebanese components, and as soon as possible, To complete the constitutional path by electing a President of the Republic, and to move forward with the reforms initiated by the government to establish an economic and social system that benefits the brotherly Lebanese people.
The joint statement mentioned before added that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, Nasser Bourita, had affirmed “Morocco’s support for the stability and sovereignty of Lebanon, appreciating the efforts of the Lebanese government to stay away from political and military conflicts in the region,” stressing “Morocco’s aspiration to activate bilateral relations.” The second session of the Higher Joint Committee will be held as soon as possible, and the legal framework will be updated to respond to the rapid global changes.
According to the statement, Nasser Bourita expressed, “The Kingdom of Morocco welcomes the conclusion of an agreement to demarcate the southern maritime borders, with American mediation and UN sponsorship, and looks forward to this agreement contributing to enabling Lebanon to benefit from its resources to contribute to improving its economy and achieving stability and prosperity.”
The statement added that the Lebanese Foreign Minister “praised the brotherly relations between the two countries and the support extended to Morocco in Lebanon’s basic issues, explaining that the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty, always stands by Lebanon and supports its just causes.” In this regard, he recalled the generous solidarity initiatives ordered by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, following the explosion that rocked the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, in addition to the royal gift to face economic challenges and the repercussions of the “Covid-19” pandemic.
The Lebanese side affirmed Lebanon’s support for Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its country’s rejection of all separatist entities that threaten the unity and integrity of states, stressing with regard to the Syrian displacement fill the need for the international community to have a road map for the return of Syrian refugees to their homes in a safe and dignified manner, in light of the absence of Lebanon’s ability to continue to maintain their presence on its territory despite the economic, financial and social crisis it is currently going through, recalling in this the United Nations Charter on Migration that was adopted in Marrakech in December 2018 and is based on the “principle of burden-sharing,” according to the statement.