Panama City, 19/05/2023 (MAP) – Morocco participated, on Thursday at the headquarters of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino) in Panama City, in the 3rd Summit of the Afro-Latin American Parliamentary Forum « AFROLAC ».
Speaking on this occasion, the president of the Chamber of Councilors, Enaam Mayara, stressed that HM King Mohammed VI advocates the development of South-South relations, noting that this meeting is the political concretization of the AFROLAC project after years of consultations with the various legislative institutions members of this forum.
Mayara, who is also president of the Association of Senates, Shuras and Equivalent Councils of Africa and the Arab World (ASSECAA), stressed that the creation of AFROLAC, initiated by the Moroccan Chamber of Councilors, aims to strengthen ties between the peoples of the two regions, reinforcing parliamentary cooperation in the fields of economic and social development, migration and the fight against climate change, terrorism and human trafficking.
He proposed to hold the next AFROLAC summit in the Moroccan Parliament, adding that this conclave should focus on the means to concretize the action of the forum to respond to the aspirations of the peoples of the two regions.
For her part, the President of Parlatino, Silvia del Rosario Giacoppo, highlighted the « vitality » of relations between the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean and Morocco.
Underlining the relevance of this « historic » meeting, Giacoppo affirmed the importance of developing relations between the two regions and discussing common concerns. In this regard, she underscored the urgency of the migration issue, noting that both regions are struggling with the phenomenon of forced migration.
The President of the Senate of Zimbabwe and Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union, Mabel Memory Chinomona, stressed that AFROLAC should be a platform for exchange and dialogue on various issues.
The President of the Andean Parliament, Gloria Flores Schneider, considered that AFROLAC should be a permanent mechanism for constructive dialogue between the regions of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa.
The Vice-President of the Mercosur Parliament, Cecilia Britto, stressed the importance of giving new impetus to South-South cooperation by holding regular meetings and institutionalizing cooperation between the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa.
In the same vein, the Vice-President of the Pan-African Parliament, Lucia Passos, affirmed that the creation of AFROLAC is a « great » opportunity for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean to consolidate relations between the countries of these three regions
