Mr. Ahmed Akhchichine, Second Vice-President of the Chamber of Councillors, welcomed Mr. István Jakab, Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Hungary, on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, who is on a working visit to the Kingdom of Morocco.
At the outset of this meeting, Mr. Ahmed Akhchichine emphasized the significance of the Hungarian parliamentary official's visit in enhancing the path of distinguished cooperation between the Moroccan and Hungarian parliaments, noting the rich history of reciprocal visits between the two legislative institutions.
The Second Vice-President of the Chamber of Councillors highlighted that bilateral relations between Morocco and Hungary have seen significant development in recent years, thanks to the strategic vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. He commended the efforts made by both countries to establish a strong model of cooperation marked by mutual respect, friendship, shared work, and aligned views on numerous regional and international issues.
In this regard, he acknowledged tangible progress in several areas of cooperation, primarily economic cooperation, trade exchanges, as well as cultural, academic, scientific, and technological collaboration. He also praised multilateral cooperation at continental and international forums.
During the meeting, Mr. Ahmed Akhchichine expressed his appreciation for Hungary's position on the Moroccan Sahara issue, supporting the UN-led process and the autonomy plan for the southern provinces of the Kingdom of Morocco. He noted that this position is part of the growing international support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, which aims to ensure local governance and economic development in these regions under His Majesty's leadership.
For his part, Mr. István Jakab stressed the importance of parliamentary cooperation in strengthening relations between the two countries. He expressed his desire to expand this partnership by fostering experience exchanges in parliamentary fields and coordinating within regional and international parliamentary unions to reinforce mutual understanding between the two friendly nations.
The Hungarian parliamentary official commended Morocco's wise policies to promote security, stability, and peace in the region. He praised Morocco's pivotal role as a responsible actor and key partner in combating irregular migration, fighting terrorism, and fostering shared development.
He expressed his country's desire to deepen cooperative relations with Morocco in the economic, energy, agricultural, tourism, cultural, and scientific sectors, advocating for experience exchanges in these areas.
Regarding Morocco's territorial integrity, the Vice-President of the Hungarian National Assembly reaffirmed Hungary's support for the UN-led process and Morocco's autonomy initiative in the southern provinces of the Kingdom.
Mr. Ahmed Akhchichine also met, on the same day, with Mr. Laurent Wehrli, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swiss National Council. The meeting underscored the solid foundations of bilateral relations between Morocco and Switzerland, built on friendship and cooperation.
It was also an opportunity to reaffirm the exemplary and fruitful partnership between Morocco and Switzerland and the mutual commitment to strengthening cooperation and coordination between the two legislative institutions, notably through parliamentary friendship groups and experience exchanges in various parliamentary fields.