Speech by His Excellency the Ambassador of Morocco, Mr. Mohamed Amine Belhaj, on the occasion of the national holiday of the Coronation Day
Coronation Day, the national holiday of the Kingdom of Morocco, was solemnly marked in Serbia this year as well. His Excellency, Mohamed Amine Belhaj, the Ambassador of Morocco to Serbia, on this occasion organized a reception at the Belgrade Hotel Metropol. The reception was attended by representatives of the state authorities of Serbia and many representatives of religious communities, foreign diplomats and personalities from the cultural and public life of Serbia. The ceremony began with the performance of the anthems of Serbia and Morocco, interpreted by the Barili Choir.
H.E. Mohamed Amine Belhaj, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Morocco to Serbia, at the celebration of the 22nd anniversary of the enthronement of H.R.H. King Muhammad VI, addressed the guests with a welcoming speech:
“The past 18 months have been extremely difficult due to the global pandemic that has hit the entire planet and paralyzed the world economy. Despite that, Morocco has largely managed to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic, thanks to solidarity, precaution and prevention, as well as a holistic approach that has put citizens first, especially the most vulnerable groups.
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the resilience of the Moroccan economy and its capacity for innovation and industrial responsiveness. During that period, Morocco produced masks, respirators, PCR sampling kits, as well as 100% Moroccan PCR tests. Furthermore, as part of an outstanding public-private partnership, the Kingdom will start manufacturing its own Covid-19 vaccines, with a global investment of 500 million dollars and with a capacity of more than 5 million doses of vaccines per month, both for domestic needs and for international needs. As a result of this advances, Morocco will position itself as a biotechnology platform at the continental level.
In transforming this crisis into an opportunity, one of this year’s achievements was the introduction of the New Model of Development, an ambitious project resulting from a large scale comprehensive national dialogue that aims to tackle contemporary and future challenges and whose objectives include doubling the per capita GDP by 2035, increasing the capacity of the economy to generate new jobs, significantly reducing social and territorial inequalities, ensuring universal health coverage and providing quality education as a basic foundation.”
“The Kingdom of Morocco’s foreign policy is based on three major orientations: diversification, firmness and primacy of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Diversification is reflected in deepening relations with Morocco’s traditional allies on all four corners of the world, with a special emphasis on our continent – Africa.
Morocco, which has achieved significant internal achievements and has brought a substantial input on the international scene, has succeeded in reinforcing and consolidating its sovereignty at all levels. Hence, our country stands today as a key player and reliable partner on the issues of climate change, terrorism and illegal migration.
The relations between Rabat and Belgrade, which are witnessing a virtuous dynamic leading to a strategic partnership, are based on friendship, mutual respect and trust, as well as on a convergence of views on issues of common interest.
Morocco and Serbia have reached an extraordinary level of cooperation, which is illustrated by a regular political dialogue, strengthening the legal framework and numerous high-level reciprocal visits, such as the visits of Serbian Foreign Minister H.E. Nikola Selaković and National Assembly Speaker H.E. Mr. Ivica Dačić in May and June.
In this regard, I would like to seize this opportunity to praise the constructive position of the Republic of Serbia, which considers the Moroccan autonomy initiative, under the Moroccan sovereignty, as a serious and credible solution for the Sahara issue.
On the other hand, the volume of trade has quadrupled in 2020, yet there are still many opportunities to be seized. The next joint economic committee, to be held before the end of this year, will be an opportunity not only to reinforce the legal framework, but also to boost economic and commercial relations and to provide the business community with ways and means to improve their partnerships.
In addition, Morocco and Serbia will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year. Also, next year will be the Year of Morocco in Serbia and vice versa, which will be an additional opportunity to organize numerous cultural events that will further bring our two peoples even closer.
The Kingdom of Morocco is determined to continue its cooperation and its distinguished partnership with the Republic of Serbia. We strongly believe that by working together, we will achieve our common vision in terms of development and will embed our relations in excellence.
