The operation led to the seizure of 1.5 tonne of drugs, which were transported to the port of Tangier and handed over to the local Royal Gendarmerie for investigation and procedures, the source added.

In a joint statement made public following her discussions on Friday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Mr. Nasser Bourita, Mrs. Ragnaghnewendé Rouamba noted that the Moroccan Initiative for Autonomy represents "a credible and serious way for the settlement of the conflict over the Sahara".

The Burkinabe top diplomat also hailed the efforts of the United Nations as the exclusive framework for achieving a realistic, practical and lasting solution to the dispute over the Sahara.

She expressed, in this regard, her country's support for the search for a lasting solution to this issue, which preserves the territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the exclusive aegis of the United Nations and in compliance with decision 693 of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union of July 2018.

For his part, Mr. Bourita seized this opportunity to welcome Burkina Faso's participation in the ministerial conference in support of the Autonomy Initiative under the sovereignty of Morocco organized virtually on January 15, 2021, at the invitation of the Kingdomof Morocco and the United States of America.

The minister also commended the strengthening of relations of cooperation between the two countries and welcomed the opening by Burkina Faso of its Consulate General in Dakhla in October 2020 and the appointment of a Consul General.

Mr. Bourita, who took part in the African Union (AU) Extraordinary Humanitarian Summit and Pledging Conference, in which he represented HM King Mohammed VI, underlined that the Kingdom's commitment is, in fact, commensurate with the "challenges" and can meet the "humanitarian aspirations in Africa".

"The active solidarity of HM King Mohammed VI is the basis of the path structuring Morocco's humanitarian commitment. A solidarity commitment, but also a pragmatic one. It is indeed a commitment that is based on an approach integrating the several security, humanitarian and ecological challenges that weigh on Africa," he pointed out.

"It is a commitment that is always centered on the human element, never on hidden agendas", the Moroccan minister added.

Even during the pandemic, he underlined, His Majesty the King launched the Initiative of African Heads of State to support the efforts of the Continent in the various phases of the management of the pandemic, with a substantial medical aid sent to some twenty brotherly African countries.

In this regard, the minister recalled the message sent by HM King Mohammed VI to the participants in the 1st World Humanitarian Summit, held in Istanbul on May 23, 2016, in which the Sovereign underlined that in order "to tackle the suffering and tragedies resulting from such situations, attention today should primarily be given to measures that are practical, using a rational approach and adopting proactive, forward-looking proposals that can help promote humanitarian action, without exploitation for political purposes."

"We are also facing an emergency," said Bourita, noting that the humanitarian situation "concentrates all the ills of Africa by making them a priority".

"Africa does not have a monopoly on crises", he said, adding that "it concentrates a singular prevalence of them, as evidenced by over 36 million Africans who are internally displaced, refugees and asylum seekers in Africa.

"That is 1 out of 3 forcibly displaced persons in the world".

"Out of the nearly 60 million internally displaced people in the world in 2021, more than 80% are in sub-Saharan Africa", noted Mr. Bourita, adding that "Africa will have some 86 million climate-displaced people by 2050".

"Nearly 282 million people are undernourished in Africa", he pointed out, noting that in the Sahel, "there are 18 million at risk of hunger in the coming months, including 7.7 million children aged less than 5 years".

"We know the factors underlying humanitarian crises only too well. They are political and security-related. They are also environmental. And in the Sahel, it is almost all of these at once!", stressed Mr. Bourita.

Thus, he pointed out, Morocco, beyond the emergency response, is mobilized on all the factors exacerbating humanitarian crises, such as political and security instability, economic precariousness and climate vulnerability.

"The litany of challenges corners us, but does not immobilize us", said the Moroccan minister, stressing that "our horizon is that of action. Immediate action".

"We strongly believe that this horizon must have, as a compass, respect for humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law and, as a line of sight, the vital interests of African citizens", he underlined.

"Hence the need to put the human being at the heart of humanitarian action. Everywhere and at all times, Morocco's commitment bears the mark of active solidarity", concluded Mr. Bourita.

The seminar took place on May 23-27 at the African Center for Training of Journalists (CAFJ) -- at the headquarters of Morocco's News Agency (MAP)-- under the theme "Mastery of techniques for good practice of sports journalism."

It was an opportunity for some twenty participating journalists from several African news agencies to improve their knowledge of techniques and practices of sports journalism, digital journalism, social-economic challenges, communication and cultural issues of sports journalism and professional ethics.

On this occasion, FAAPA President and MAP Director-General Khalil Hachimi Idrissi said that this training seminar, supervised by the best experts in the field, is part of the Federation's vocation to train and bring together African news agencies.

In terms of training, several achievements have been made by FAAPA, which has managed to organize 2 to 3 training sessions per year, except during the Covid year, Hachimi Idrissi pointed out.

Sports journalists are players who must contribute to the establishment of a sports philosophy that promotes fair play and respect for the opponent while banishing all scourges such as fanaticism, blind nationalism or hooliganism, he added, noting that this training is intended to spread these values within the African public opinion through the various media outlets.

This training seminar is also the materialization of South-South cooperation leading to excellence, promoted by HM King Mohammed VI, Hachimi Idrissi underlined.

Other speakers at the closing ceremony said that journalists must participate in the evolution of sports in Africa, by respecting ethics and fighting against anything that can undermine fair play.

They also praised MAP's experience in terms of product diversification and resource optimization, stressing the importance to bring this successful experience to other African countries.

Participants were generally satisfied with the seminar and were eager to go through this enriching experience once more.

This ceremony, held in the presence of MAP executives and Moroccan media personalities, was marked by the presentation of certificates to the participants in the seminar, who thanked FAAPA and its president for the interest given to training.

On the sidelines of this seminar, the Network of Sports Journalists of Press Agencies, members of the FAAPA (RJS-FAAPA), was created with a view to promoting experience and data exchange as well as skill sharing.

"A wide range of publications will be exhibited at the SIEL, reflecting diversity and richness with a total of 100,000 titles," the ministry said at a press conference dedicated to the programming of the 27th edition of the book fair.

The press conference was held in the presence of Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid and the dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in Morocco, Mouhamadou Youssifou.

Given "the designation of Rabat as the Capital of African Culture for the year 2022 and in recognition of the multidimensional links between the culture of Morocco and that of sisterly African countries, this edition honors African literature," the ministry said in a document handed out on this occasion.

This edition will feature a rich and diverse cultural programming, with six spaces for meetings and debates to accommodate a array of professionals, creators, writers and researchers from Morocco and abroad, according to the same source.

In addition to 380 speakers who will attend conferences, meetings and presentations of new releases and poetry evenings, other activities will also take place including the presentation of the Ibn Battuta Prize for travel literature, the young poets' Award and the National Reading Award.

A variety of activities are also planned for children, supervised by 63 animators.

The conduct of this exhibition was made possible through the support and mobilization of several partners including the Wilaya of the region Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, the Municipality of Rabat, the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Rabat and the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection. 

In an interview with Jeune Afrique Magazine published on Friday, Alaoui pointed to the "doublespeak" of countries that claim to be partners, especially on the Sahara issue, recalling that France, which is about to grant broad autonomy to Corsica, "still refuses to take the step of full recognition of Morocco's territorial integrity."

Asked about the reasons preventing Paris from taking the step towards a more frank recognition like the United States, the expert noted that such a reluctance to go Washington's way could be linked to "a concern to further strain the complicated relations with Algiers."

"I think this is part of the explanation," he said, recalling that the current French position is "largely favorable" to Morocco through support for the autonomy plan, with France being one of the first countries to support the initiative after it was released in 2007.

France has now entered the second - and final - term of President Macron. There is therefore an opportunity to take the step and move towards full recognition of the Moroccan Sahara, Alaoui said.

In the same vein, the political scientist recalled the "very important" new position of the Netherlands, the country being the keystone of northern Europe by its geography and culture, adding that he is convinced that others will follow.

"This is the course of history because we know what chaos and imbalances separatism can generate," said Alaoui, who discussed the reasons behind the latest "reversal" in Spanish-Moroccan relations.

Regarding the diplomatic successes achieved by the Kingdom in recent years, especially in the Sahara issue, the expert argued that the succession of these diplomatic "coups" is part of the new foreign policy doctrine deployed by HM King Mohammed VI for over twenty years.

"These are only the tip of the iceberg of a strategy conceptualized upstream and based on the renewed fundamentals of the position that Morocco should occupy within the community of nations," he said.

Morocco has long been a pivot country between East and West, one of the cornerstones of the dialogue on the Middle East, under the reign of Late HM Hassan II. With the new vision of HM King Mohammed VI, North-South and South-South dimensions have been added to the mix, in addition to the belief that Morocco is not just the gateway to Africa, but also the catalyst for South-South partnerships, the expert underlined.

"This shift in the center of gravity of Moroccan foreign policy, along with Morocco's return to the African Union, have consolidated the Kingdom's diplomatic position. This has led to diplomatic victories where the HM King was in the front line," Alaoui concluded.

During his talks Friday in Rabat with the Speaker of the House of Advisors (upper house), Naama Mayara, the Polish official stressed the importance of coordinating the action of friendship and cooperation groups between the Polish legislative institution and the Moroccan upper house to serve the interests of the two friendly peoples and countries, says a statement from the House of Advisors.

The Speaker of the Polish Senate reiterated his country's clear and unwavering position regarding the Moroccan Sahara issue, which consists in supporting the efforts undertaken under the auspices of the United Nations as well as in favoring dialogue, tolerance and peaceful means.

The Polish official said he is optimistic about the increase in the volume of trade between the two countries, although it still falls short of their joint ambition given their promising potential in several areas, particularly in the tourism sector.

He also mentioned the negative impact of the conflict in Ukraine, particularly with regard to the global shortage of some basic products, including wheat.

For his part, the Speaker of the House of Advisors hailed the Polish position with a view to achieving a just and fair solution to the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara, stressing the seriousness, credibility and realism of the autonomy plan presented by Morocco, at a time when the other parties cling to outdated positions that do not keep up with the deep changes taking place in the world today.

This meeting was also an opportunity for Mr. Mayara to underline the worrying repercussions of the evolution of the situation in the Sahelo-Saharan region, which is experiencing a growing rise in the activities of mercenaries and the development of suspicious relations between the separatists and several terrorist organisations, which threatens regional security as a whole and destabilizes Europe's southern borders.

He noted that this situation requires greater cooperation and coordination among all the parties involved, including European allies and partners.

Regarding bilateral parliamentary cooperation, the Moroccan official underscored the importance of the action of the Moroccan-Polish friendship and cooperation groups within the House of Advisors and the Senate, as it is a parliamentary mechanism which plays a pioneering role in supporting the growing dynamism of bilateral relations in all sectors.

Friendship groups also play an important role in increasing mutual visits and sharing experiences and good practices, particularly in areas of interest to both countries, including the development of economic and trade cooperation and solving problems related to immigration, terrorism and organized crime.

Mr. Mayara also stressed the strong political will of the two countries to develop their economic relations, noting in this regard the large number of bilateral agreements and the volume of trade this year which exceeds one billion dollars, the statement said.

According to the same source, the two sides hailed, during this meeting, the strength and vitality of bilateral relations which benefit from special attention from His Majesty the King and the Polish President, given the basic principles that bring the two countries together with regard to respect for human rights, the consolidation of the values ​​of peace and tolerance within the international community, respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs of States.

A total of 24,829,680 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while the number of fully vaccinated people (1st and 2nd doses) has reached 23,310,335, the ministry pointed out in its daily COVID-19 bulletin, noting that 6,409,288 people have received the third dose of the vaccine.

According to the same source, the number of COVID-19 cases reported since the start of the outbreak of the virus rose to 1,167,527 while recoveries increased to 1,150,063, i.e. a recovery rate of 98.5%.

The new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the regions of Casablanca-Settat (101), Rabat-Salé-Kenitra (47), Marrakech-Safi (34), Fez-Meknes (07), Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (04), the Oriental (04), Souss-Massa (03) and Draa-Tafilalet (02). 

As for coronavirus-related fatalities, they stood at 16,076 (fatality rate of 1.4%) with no new death recorded in the last 24 hours.

The number of active cases rose to 1,388, while one severe or critical case has been reported in the past 24 hours.

This year's edition, "Women's excellence in the service of sustainable development goals (SDGs)," aims to encourage and promote pioneering initiatives for global sustainable development by 2030 in order to expand economic opportunities for women, said a statement from the Ministry.

The Tamayuz 2022 Prize thus encompasses the 17 SDGs, it added.

The seventh edition adopts a "territorial approach" throughout the Kingdom to expand the scope of applications under a participatory approach in terms of organization, coordination and evaluation.

The Tamayuz prize is an annual ceremony that celebrates Moroccan women's contributions in several vital fields. The prize was established by the Solidarity ministry in hopes of fostering women's empowerment and encouraging them to participate in Morocco's development

This meeting was an opportunity for both parties to discuss ways to develop parliamentary cooperation and exchange views on several issues of common interest.

In a statement to the press following these talks, Grodzki stressed the common values shared by the two countries, including respect for human rights and freedoms and support for the values of tolerance and stability.

The Polish official highlighted the excellence of the Morocco-Poland relations, affirming that the Kingdom is appreciated and respected by the Polish people.

In similar remarks, Mayara emphasized the strong and distinguished historical relations between the two counties since 1959, noting that Grodzki's visit establishes a new stage of cooperation.

The talks focused on ways to strengthen cooperation relations between the two legislative institutions through the exchange of expertise in the field of parliamentary action, Mayar said.

The two parties also discussed several current issues, including the latest developments in the Sahel region which threaten peace and security in Europe and Morocco.