During his talks with speaker of the House of Advisors, Enaam Mayara, Ohana stressed the major importance of the decision to resume diplomatic relations with the Kingdom, describing his visit to Morocco, the first of its kind to an Arab and Muslim country, as an "exceptional event", according to a statement by the House of Advisors.

The speaker of the Knesset, who is on an official visit to Morocco, highlighted the pioneering role of HM King Mohammed VI and the Sovereign's unwavering commitment to achieving peace in the Middle East, recalling HM the King's clear positions in this regard.

Regarding the issue of the Kingdom's territorial integrity, the Knesset speaker reaffirmed the Moroccan identity of the Sahara, noting that "serious discussions are underway between Israeli officials, which will lead to a decisive and welcome decision for Moroccans in the near future".

For his part, Mayara recalled the dynamism of relations between Morocco and Israel thanks to the efforts of His Majesty the King, stressing that this momentum draws its strength from the historical ties and attachment of the Jewish community of Moroccan origin to the Kingdom.

The speaker of the House of Advisors expressed the readiness of the Moroccan Parliament to work with its Israeli counterpart to raise cooperation between the two legislative institutions to the level of shared ambitions and challenges.

This meeting was an opportunity for the speaker of the House of Advisors to explain how the upper house operates, its composition and its constitutional powers.

Mayara also discussed the new roles and constitutional architecture of the House of Advisors, characterized by greater representation of different political, economic, trade union and territorial sensibilities.

In a statement to MAP following talks with chairwoman of the House of Representatives' Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Islamic Affairs and Moroccan Expatriates, Bacigalupe noted that Morocco's qualitative rise in development is a model to follow in several areas.

The president of the Mercosur Parliament said that the talks provided an opportunity to explore prospects for economic cooperation and trade between the two parties, stressing that his visit is aimed at strengthening and deepening Morocco's diplomatic relations with the member countries of this regional economic grouping.

For her part, Nadia Bouaida affirmed that the meeting with the president of the Mercosur Parliament and the accompanying delegation, made up of members of the Parliament's executive board, was an opportunity to praise the economic integration of the countries making up this bloc, noting that this experience of integration "bringing together emerging and influential countries in the world economy, should serve as a model for the construction of economic groupings, particularly in the era of globalization".

She pointed out that the meeting had enabled members of the Mercosur parliamentary delegation to learn about Morocco's achievements in recent years in a number of areas, including industrial acceleration, agriculture and renewable energies, as well as management of the water crisis and migration issues.

The meeting also examined ways of developing parliamentary relations, coordinating international efforts and promoting democracy and human rights.

"Morocco firmly condemns the cowardly attacks that have targeted Burkina Faso, a brotherly country, and which are contrary to the spirit of tolerance and coexistence that has always marked this country", said Bourita at a joint press briefing with his Burkinabe counterpart, Olivia Ragnaghnewendé Rouamba, at the end of the 4th session of the Morocco-Burkina Faso Joint Commission.

He pointed out that the situation in Burkina Faso is closely linked to the instability in the Sahel and Sahara region, where armed and terrorist groups have found fertile ground for their proliferation, noting that over 60% of the world's terrorist operations take place in sub-Saharan Africa.

The number of victims of terrorist operations in this region exceeds that recorded in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, he lamented.

"Today, there are at least 12 terrorist groups operating in the Sahel and Sahara region, colluding with 19 separatist groups that threaten the territorial integrity of African countries," he stressed, noting that the scourge of terrorist group infiltration into Africa is a general phenomenon.

Burkina Faso, which is in the firing line, needs support and backing, given that the fight against terrorism in this country will have an impact on the entire Sahel and West Africa region, he added.

The Kingdom, which has made the fight against extremism and terrorism an absolute priority, continues to call on the international community to pay particular attention to this scourge, by supporting the measures and actions taken by African countries faced with this phenomenon, according to a holistic and innovative approach combining humanitarian action, development and peacebuilding, with a view to putting an end to the phenomenon of terrorism and violent extremism, he underlined.

Bourita affirmed that Morocco is following with interest the development of the transition process in Burkina Faso, and has confidence in the ability of the country's leaders to deal with all developments in the country with wisdom and with the supreme national interest in mind, stressing that the measures taken in recent months by president Ibrahim Traoré are important for strengthening stability and relaunching the development process in this brotherly country.

After stressing that the transition process is on the right track, Bourita noted that Morocco still believes that elections are not an end in themselves, but are held with a view to achieving stability, noting that "organizing elections in the absence of security and continuing attacks makes no sense".

In this context, he praised the wisdom shown by the Burkina Faso authorities, which is a source of satisfaction for Morocco, noting that the Kingdom once again expresses its full solidarity with Burkina Faso at this stage.

"Working to strengthen state structures and interact with humanitarian needs demonstrates the existence of a sincere will to get Burkina Faso out of this difficult situation", he added, underscoring Morocco's readiness to support the development program launched by H.E. president Ibrahim Traoré, through support and the exchange of expertise, with the aim of achieving the desired results.

Burkina Faso has shown remarkable steadfastness and stability in this particular context, added Bourita, expressing confidence that this country, with its leadership, its capabilities, the determination of its people and the support of its friends, is in a position to overcome the difficulties it faces during this particular period.

The 4th session of the Morocco-Burkina Faso joint cooperation Commission kicked off in Dakhla, under the co-presidency of Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and his Burkina Faso counterpart, Olivia Ragnaghnèwendé Rouamba.

This session provided an opportunity to explore new horizons for consolidating cooperation relations between Morocco and Burkina Faso, and to build fruitful partnerships in a wide range of fields, in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Heads of State of the two countries, His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Excellency president Ibrahim Traoré.

The session, attended by the ambassador, director general of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) and representatives of several departments, culminated in the signing of 12 agreements covering several areas of bilateral cooperation.

In tweets, the British and Irish embassies in Rabat welcomed the Kingdom's hosting of the work of the joint "6+6" commission tasked by the Libyan House of Representatives and High Council of State with drafting electoral laws for the legislative and presidential elections in Libya.

They also praised the role played by Moroccan diplomacy in reaching a compromise on this issue.

For its part, the Croatian embassy in Morocco welcomed Morocco's efforts to ensure the success of the "6+6" joint commission dialogue and reach a compromise with a view to achieving a political settlement to the Libyan crisis, underlining "the Kingdom's strong and positive commitment to a peaceful political transition in Libya, through the electoral process".

In a joint statement with the embassies of the United States, France, Germany and Italy, the British diplomatic representation in Tripoli hailed the efforts of the "6+6" joint commission to reach a compromise, at the end of two weeks of meetings in Morocco, on the laws governing the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of the year.

The "6+6" joint commission announced, on Tuesday night, that, after two weeks of meetings in Morocco, its members had reached a compromise on the laws governing the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of the year.

The Bouznika meeting is a continuation of the series of meetings hosted by the Kingdom, bringing together the various Libyan parties with a view to deepening dialogue on ways and means of resolving the crisis in the country, following an approach that provides the right platform for dialogue and constructive consultation.

In a statement, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the announcement by the Libyan "6+6" joint commission tasked by the House of Representatives and the High Council of State in Bouznika on Wednesday that its members had reached a compromise on the laws governing Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Ministry expressed the hope that these compromises would help advance the political settlement process in Libya, in a way that serves the hopes and aspirations of the Libyan people.

The "6+6" joint commission announced on Tuesday that, after two weeks of meetings in Morocco, its members had reached a compromise on the laws governing the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of the year.

The Bouznika meeting is a continuation of the series of meetings hosted by the Kingdom, bringing together the various Libyan parties with a view to deepening dialogue on the ways and means of resolving the crisis in the country, following an approach that provides the right space for dialogue and constructive consultation.

In its weekly bulletin on the epidemiological situation covering the period from June 03 to 09, the Ministry reports that the number of people vaccinated for the first time reached 24,922,885, those who received two doses 23,424,719, while 6,885,206 people received three injections of the vaccine and 60,861 received the booster dose.

The new weekly tally of infections brings the total number of contaminations since the first case was reported in Morocco on March 2, 2020 to 1,275,003, with a weekly positivity rate of 7.9%.

New infections were reported in the regions of f Rabat-Salé-Kenitra (34), Grand Casablanca-Settat (29), Souss-Massa (14), Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra (08), Fez-Meknes (06), Marrakech-Safi (03), the Oriental (03), Beni Mellal-Khenifra (03), Dakhla-Oued Eddahab (01) and Guelmim-Oued Noun (01).

The total number of deaths remains at 16,297 (overall case-fatality 1.3%), with zero cases recorded in the last week.

Active cases numbered 240, with zero severe or critical cases in the last week.

The purpose of the visit is to consolidate and strengthen relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and Mercosur, and to present the significant advances made by Morocco, particularly in terms of economic development.

On this occasion, the two parties welcomed the dynamic trade and quality of relations that Morocco and Mercosur have maintained to date, and which make it possible to look forward with optimism to their consolidation on an economic and industrial level.

In this respect, Mezzour highlighted Morocco's strengths as a production and export platform for a market of over a billion consumers, thanks to its free-trade agreements with the United States and the European Union (EU) in particular, which make it an international hub.

The Minister also emphasized that the common economic interests of both parties, as well as their economic potential, easily enable their cooperation to move from an essentially commercial relationship to a multi-sector partnership, notably in the industrial sector, calling for deploying triangular Mercosur-Morocco-Africa cooperation, and to take advantage of Morocco's competitive advantages as a gateway to Africa, in the context of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

For his part, Basigalupe, on a working visit to Morocco from June 9 to 14 accompanied by a delegation of Mercosur parliament members, praised Morocco's efforts in terms of economic performance.

He also underlined Mercosur's strong commitment to exploring all partnership opportunities with the Kingdom, especially as the group aims to strengthen its trade relations with MENA countries, given the potential for complementary interests.

The two parties also stressed the importance of organizing a business forum to bring their respective business communities closer together, as well as seeking complementarities between the two economies, particularly in the agri-food industry and renewable energies, in view of the challenges that these two sectors represent.

Trade between Morocco and MERCOSUR is expected to reach $4.70 billion in 2022 ($3.6 billion in 2021).

The meeting, which took place in the presence of members of the Mercosur parliamentary bureau, was an opportunity to exchange views on ways of implementing the memorandum of understanding signed in November 2022 in Rabat between the two parliamentary institutions, strengthening the ties of cooperation between the two parties and exploiting the opportunities offered in the African, Mediterranean and Latin American zones, the Upper House said in a press release.

On this occasion, Mayara stressed the need to accelerate the pace of joint action to implement this agreement, through a defined roadmap, proposing, in this regard, the creation of a parliamentary economic forum as a suitable framework for dialogue and partnership between businessmen from both parties, with a view to creating a free trade zone between Morocco and Mercosur, according to the same source.

Mayara recalled that the Kingdom has opted for South-South cooperation in order to consolidate relations between peoples and promote cooperation in various fields offering real opportunities for economic integration and trade.

The House of Councillors, he affirmed, "is determined to forge ahead on this path, under the impetus of HM King Mohammed VI, whose historic visit to the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean gave a strong boost to relations between the two parties."

Mayara also underlined the active presence of the Moroccan Parliament "as a truly reliable partner" in the various parliamentary groupings in Latin America and the Caribbean, adding that Mercosur countries can take advantage of Morocco's strategic position as an essential gateway to Africa, to strengthen their economic and trade relations with these countries, "especially as the Kingdom is the leading investor in this promising continent.”

He also stressed the need to further strengthen cooperation between the two parties to serve the common interests of all parties, within the framework of the Parliamentary Forum of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (AFROLAC), whose next session is scheduled for October in Morocco.

The MASI.20, an index of the 20 most liquid stocks, and the MASI.ESG, an index of companies with the highest ESG rating, as published by Moody's ESG Solutions, climbed by 0.54% to 897.47 pts and 0.46% to 822.05 pts respectively.

During a ceremony organized by the RAM office in Cairo, in partnership with the OneWorld alliance and in the presence of economic and tourism operators, speakers highlighted the revival of mobility and travel between the two countries and the efforts made by the national airline to open new horizons for exploring investment opportunities.

On this occasion, Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Tazi affirmed that RAM, as a national player in the field of air transport, has been able to achieve a resumption and intensification of the movement of Egyptian and Moroccan citizens in both directions, by increasing the frequency of flights between the two countries, which has contributed to sustaining the tourist movement and creating promising opportunities for exploring investment opportunities.

In this context, he pointed out that the number of flights has reached 7 flights per week, and sometimes 11 flights per week during peak periods, which "confirms the airline's efforts to bring the Egyptian and Moroccan peoples closer."

The Moroccan diplomat highlighted the advantages of RAM's membership in a prestigious alliance such as "OneWorld" and the consequent improvement of its services in accordance with the standards adopted by this alliance, believing that its presence in this alliance will give the company new impetus and open up promising prospects.

Tazi pointed out that this company, considered one of the most important instruments of soft power, plays a humanitarian role in international events at the service of its customers, especially Moroccan citizens, adding in this regard that national institutions support Royal Air Maroc.