The Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Habib El Malki received, on Monday in Rabat, Mr. Nkosiakhe Amos Masondo, the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (Upper House) of the Republic of South Africa.
This is the first high-level meeting that brings the two representatives together since the election of Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa.
During this meeting, Mr. Habib El Malki underlined the readiness of the lower house to work in this direction, with a view to strengthening the links of cooperation between the two legislative institutions. He expressed, on this occasion, his hope to see Morocco and South Africa build and promote exemplary parliamentary relations.
Quoted in a statement, the speaker of the House of Representatives emphasized the common memory of the struggle against the apartheid regime, recalling the historic visit of South African leader Nelson Mandela to Morocco, during which he was received by the late Sovereign, HM Hassan II.
The Kingdom, a founding member of the Organization of African unity, is resolutely committed to joint African action and economic integration in the continent, Mr. El Malki said, noting that it was one of the first signatories of the African Free Trade Agreement. "Parliamentary institutions have an important role to play in making this agreement a reality," he said.
He also stressed the importance of looking to the future and going beyond artificial problems, all the more so as "Africa needs strong States and an active civil society, but also democratic transition and respect for human rights".
For his part, Mr. Amos Nkosiyakhe expressed his gratitude to Morocco for the support it had given to the South African people in their struggle against apartheid.
After affirming his country's commitment to the consolidation of democratic practice, the South African official called for the intensification of trade and economic exchanges between the countries of the continent.
"We share many things and we are optimistic about the possibility of overcoming the obstacles to the development of the continent," said the President of the national Council of Provinces.
