“World Day” highlights the roles of parliamentary diplomacy in defending Morocco’s interests

On Sunday, June 30, the international community celebrates the International Day of Parliamentary Work, which coincides with the founding date of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. This day is an occasion to highlight the role of the Moroccan Parliament, with its two chambers, in enhancing opportunities for understanding and cooperation between Rabat and other countries through its legislative institutions, and its role in defending and advocating for Morocco’s interests and priority issues, such as the Sahara issue, in continuation of the efforts of relevant official diplomacy.

In this context, Al-Buraq Shadi Abdel Salam, an international expert in crisis management, conflict management and risk analysis, said, “Parliamentary diplomacy plays a strategic role in providing qualitative support to official diplomacy and all its channels in order to strengthen Morocco’s foreign relations at the regional, continental and international levels, and to convey the Moroccan point of view.” Concerning the various issues raised, defending the highest interests of the Moroccan people, and seriously advocating for the first national issue of Moroccans.”

The declarant stressed to Hespress that “in light of the principle of separation of powers, there is a need to intensify coordination mechanisms between the executive and legislative authorities regarding foreign policy issues by constantly working to inform members of Parliament of the nature of the issues raised at the regional and international levels and their repercussions on the highest interests of the state, as This coordination enhances the integration between the roles of the two authorities in managing the Kingdom’s foreign affairs and enhancing its international standing.”

Al-Baraq pointed out the need to “define the strategic objectives of parliamentary diplomacy in line with the Kingdom’s foreign policy, then develop a clear action plan to implement these objectives at the national and international levels, enhance communication and coordination between Parliament and government agencies related to foreign policy, build the capacities of parliamentary cadres in the field of diplomacy and international relations, activate the role of parliamentary committees specializing in foreign affairs, and then find effective mechanisms to follow up and evaluate the performance of parliamentary diplomacy.”

The same expert also pointed out the importance of “the obligatory participation of parliamentarians in national divisions and friendship groups in study days or internal seminars that help them understand international balances, the nature of the geopolitical challenges facing the Kingdom, and how to preserve the highest interests and maintain the constitutional secretariat in order to achieve an effective, influential, proactive, and capable diplomatic dynamism.” Seriously pleading for the highest interests of the nation in international forums.”

In response to the same topic, Saeed Berkanaan, a political analyst, said, “Diplomatic work is no longer limited to the diplomatic corps affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its departments; rather, it has become necessary for all actors in the state to practice a type of parallel diplomacy to represent the state in the best possible way outside its geographical scope, so that this parallel diplomacy is more effective and has an effective weight at the level of diplomacy if it is related in particular to a national issue that is considered a focus in official diplomatic work and parallel diplomatic work.”

The same speaker added, in a statement to Hespress, that “the Moroccan parliament, with its two chambers, constitutes a strong arm of parallel diplomacy in defending Morocco against some malicious campaigns that the kingdom is exposed to, such as the campaign that it was exposed to by the European Parliament at the beginning of the recent crisis with France,” noting that “the Moroccan parliament practices this type of parallel diplomacy in an effective and politically fruitful manner, which is reflected in Morocco’s role in international issues as well as in besieging the enemies of Morocco’s territorial integrity in all international political forums.”

The same political analyst explained that “parliamentary diplomacy is practiced firstly by representing Morocco in a group of parliamentarians’ unions, and secondly by establishing friendship associations similar to the Moroccan-French Friendship Group in the French Senate, which tried hard in the recent crisis between the two countries to play an important role in bridging the gap of disagreement.” This diplomatic problem has been overcome.”

The same spokesman referred to “the mechanism of protocol representation carried out, for example, by the Speaker of the House of Representatives on some occasions that require the presence of a representative of Morocco,” stressing that “all of these practices invoke a kind of diplomacy parallel to the diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the defense of the fateful issue of Morocco.” “It is an issue of national unity and Morocco’s positive presence through Parliament, which represents the political will of Moroccans and Morocco.”