The diplomat said, in an interview with Australian information website Vibe Media, he is optimistic about robust relations between Kingdom of Morocco and Australia in the years to come as both the two friendly nations share despite geographical distances same positions on various regional and international issues besides contributing for regional and global peace and stability and offering enormous business opportunities.
The year 2021 is being celebrated as the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Australia.
"This anniversary comes as an occasion to reflect on the evolution of this relationship and how to bring our two friendly countries closer as these relations are, currently, undergoing an excellent momentum, marked by a common willingness of both countries to favour rapprochement and to seize the existing opportunities of cooperation, particularly in the economic field", Medrek pointed out in this regard.
The opening of the Australian Embassy in Morocco in 2017 constitutes a concrete sign of the interest shown by the Australian authorities in the reinforcement of cooperation with the Kingdom, he added.
“We have a dynamic political dialogue with the Australian authorities, based principally on multilateral cooperation and notably global issues such as peace, security and the fight against terrorism”, the Moroccan ambassador noted.
On economic cooperation, Medrek emphasized that both Morocco and Australia were looking for further enhancing their economic exchange due to the role of leadership played by both countries in their respective regions and due to the abundance of investment opportunities in many sectors.
“Morocco is not only an important market in its own right, but also becoming the first commercial gateway to Africa as well as Africa’s bridge to Europe. Along with its strategic geographic position and intimate knowledge of the continent, Morocco has increasingly become a major gateway to these markets”, he added.
Regarding the renewal of relations with Israel, the diplomat underlined that there is no change in Morocco’s permanent and sustained commitment to the just Palestinian cause and its determination to continue to contribute effectively and constructively to a lasting peace in the Middle East.
In fact, His Majesty the King reiterated the constant position of the Kingdom of Morocco, through a phone call with the Palestinian President, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas in favour of the Palestinian question, based on the two-state solution, as internationally agreed, as well as its attachment to negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli parties as the only way to achieve a final, lasting and comprehensive settlement to this conflict, Medrek said.
The ambassador stressed the strong attachment of Hebrew Moroccans to their country of origin which is the result of openness and the pre-eminence of religious dialogue and tolerance within the Moroccan society.
Regarding Morocco’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the diplomat said that the border management was a decisive factor to limit the spread of the virus. “Furthermore, sanitary measures such as a national lockdown, prohibition of public gatherings, closing schools, social distancing and compulsory masks wearing were implemented at a very early phase. These measures allowed Morocco to keep the spread under control and to prevent catastrophic human losses.”
He also recalled that HM the King launched in March 2020 a national solidarity fund that has allowed the Government to finance expenditure on medical device upgrades, to support the national economy in coping with the shock, to preserve jobs and to mitigate the social impact of the pandemic.
“A strong recovery plan has also been put in place to help reach the pre-COVID economic growth rates and relaunch the national economy.”
He also hailed the United States recognition of the Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara region adding that US proclamation expressed through a presidential decree comes within the context of growing support to the Moroccanness of the Sahara which enshrines the pre-eminence of the Moroccan Initiative for Autonomy as the only viable solution to put an end to this artificial conflict.
In addition, the decision of the United States of America to open its Consulate General in the city of Dakhla comes at a moment when the countries of the international community opened various diplomatic representations in the Moroccan Sahara all over the last year, confirming this tendency of recognition of the full Sovereignty of the Kingdom on its territory, Medrek pointed out.