Upper House, ECOWAS Parliament Sign 'Declaration of Laayoune'
This document was initialled by the Speaker of the Upper House, Naama Mayara, and the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Mohamed Tunis, on the sidelines of a visit by a large delegation from this legislative institution of the organization of the Economic Community of West African States to the capital of the Moroccan Sahara.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the Wali of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, governor of the province of Laayoune, Abdeslam Bekrate, the president of the regional council, Sidi Hamdi Ould Errachid, in addition to elected officials.
During their stay in Laayoune, the members of the ECOWAS delegation paid visits to the region's flagship projects, including the sports city and the Olympic hall sites, which are carried out according to the best international standards.
They also visited the construction sites of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, the "Cité des Métiers et des Compétences", the University Hospital Center, as well as other projects aimed at strengthening the city's infrastructure.
The declaration also commends the important role played by the Economic Community of West African States to reinforce de process of the regional and continental integration and development, stressing the importance of south-south cooperation as a key factor in facing the challenges and stakes posed at the international and regional levels, and as a mechanism to launch a structural transformation of the economies of the region’s countries, and lay the foundations for strong and sustainable growth.
The Laayoune Declaration emphasizes the importance of strengthening cooperation between the House of Advisors and the Economic Community of West African States Parliament, and investing all available opportunities and possibilities to consolidate and deepen this institutional parliamentary cooperation, especially by virtue of its diverse and rich composition that includes economic, socio-professional, trade union and territorial components.
It also underlines the importance of promoting economic and trade relations and supporting investments between Morocco and West African countries.
The document stresses the centrality of the role that of the House of Advisors of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States can play in strengthening the bridges of cooperation between Morocco and the countries of the Economic Community of West African States, as well as creating the frameworks and conditions conducive to achieving the desired integration while committed to strengthening this cooperation for the prosperity and development of the peoples of the region.
The signing of this document is part of relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and West African countries, which fall within the framework of a historical path, based on cultural and civilizational ties and common values of development, solidarity and mutual respect.
It took place in the framework of the importance of economic and trade relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the countries of the Economic Community of West African States and the available and promising opportunities between the two sides, while recognizing the value and importance of establishing parliamentary partnerships between the House of Advisors of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States with the aim of exchanging experiences and expertise in the fields of parliamentary work, regional issues and topics of common interest.
The signing of Laayoune declaration reflects the role of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening cooperation and unifying positions on bilateral and regional issues, as well as in examining ways to develop economic, commercial and human relations, and exploiting promising possibilities in cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and West African countries.
While recalling the cooperation agreement signed between the Moroccan Parliament and the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States in October 2017, aimed at intensifying cooperation, exchanging visits, and jointly organizing conferences and seminars on issues and topics of interest to the region, the signatories mention the growing challenges related to geopolitical changes at the global level faced by the peoples of the two regions, especially in light of the unprecedented economic, health and social challenges imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic.
"We are very satisfied with what we have seen here in Laayoune. I am very happy that the population is at the center of all development initiatives in this region," Tunis, who heads a delegation of the ECOWAS parliament on a visit to Morocco, told reporters.
He stressed that this trip to Laayoune aims to see firsthand the socio-economic progress that the region is experiencing, voicing the will of the ECOWAS parliament to further promote its cooperation with the legislative institution in Morocco.
For his part, Ibrahima Mémounatou, member of the delegation, welcomed the adoption of the gender approach in the development and implementation of development projects in the region.
"The delegation is impressed by the development model in the region and the way women are taken into account in the development system", she pointed out, adding that the members of the ECOWAS delegation noted the involvement of the population of the southern provinces of the Kingdom in this dynamic and the management of their local affairs.
For his part, the Speaker of the House of Advisors, Naama Mayara, said that this visit enabled the ECOWAS delegation to learn closely about the socio-economic development in the southern provinces of the Kingdom.
This kind of visit is the concretization of the strategic choices adopted by Morocco in terms of strengthening multidimensional relations with its African depth and promoting South-South cooperation, he pointed out, emphasizing the concern to give a strong impetus to relations between the parliament and the pan-African organizations.
The Speaker also noted that this visit will have a positive impact on the vision of the members of the ECOWAS Parliament regarding the progress made in the Moroccan Sahara, in particular, and in all the regions of the Kingdom.
This trip provides the opportunity to highlight the flagship projects carried out in the sectors of infrastructure, education, health, sports and culture, thanks to the development model for the southern provinces launched in 2015 by HM King Mohammed VI, underlined for his part the President of the Regional Council of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra, Sidi Hamdi Ould Errachid.
During talks with the ECOWAS delegation, emphasis was also placed on the importance of promoting the exchange of expertise and experience between African States in terms of local management and governance to achieve the expected development, he said.
The members of the ECOWAS delegation paid a visit to the Laayoune Sports City, to the construction sites of the Olympic hall and the covered hall, which are built according to the best international standards.
They also visited the construction sites of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, the "Cité des Métiers et des Compétences", the University Hospital Center, as well as other projects aimed at strengthening the city's infrastructure.
The delegation had talks with the wali of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, governor of the province of Laayoune, Abdeslam Bekrate, as well as with chioukhs and notables of Sahrawi tribes.