Rabat: House of Representatives Speaker Rachid Talbi Alami held bilateral talks in Rabat on Thursday with speakers and representatives of the legislative institutions of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico (FOPREL), upon the conclusion of FOPREL’s 30th extraordinary meeting, hosted by the Moroccan Parliament on November 27-28.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Talbi Alami received Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador Ernesto Alfredo Castro Aldana, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Dominican Republic Alfredo Pacheco Osoria, Speaker of the National Congress of Honduras Luis Redondo Guifarro, and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Panama Jamis Gaspar Acosta Guerra. He also met with Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Belize Jorge Emilio Espat, Former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, Former President of FOPREL (2014-2021), and Chairperson of the Committee on International Relations and External Trade at the Legislative Assembly Luis
Fernando Mendoza, as well as Former Speaker and current member of the Mexican House of Representatives Marcela Guerra.

During these discussions, the FOPREL officials praised the success of the extraordinary meeting hosted by the Moroccan Parliament and highlighted the significant resolutions it produced, notably the resolution granting the Moroccan Parliament the status of an advanced partner within FOPREL, according to the same source.

The officials emphasized the role of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening cooperation between Morocco and FOPREL member states to enhance parliamentary collaboration and activate joint parliamentary friendship groups between the Moroccan Parliament and various FOPREL legislative institutions.

On this occasion, Talbi Alami addressed the shared challenges facing Morocco and FOPREL countries, which necessitate enhanced cooperation and the exchange of expertise and experiences on common issues and interests.

He further underscored the comprehensive development of Morocco’s
southern provinces, noting that the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco to resolve the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara has received widespread international backing.

Talbi Alami also highlighted strategic initiatives launched by HM King Mohammed VI to bolster South-South cooperation. These initiatives include the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project, the Atlantic Initiative for African countries’ access to the Atlantic Ocean, and other bilateral agreements and projects.