Morocco’s Culture Minister Holds Talks with Palestinian Peer

Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, held talks on Sunday in Rabat with his Palestinian peer, Imad Hamdan, on a working visit to Morocco. During this meeting, emphasis was placed on the solid historical and fraternal relations between Morocco and Palestine, as well as on the special interest of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in the Palestinian cause. On this occasion, Bensaid reaffirmed Morocco’s constant, historic and unwavering position in favor of the Palestinian cause, under the wise leadership of His Majesty the King, Chairman of Al-Quds Committee. He also stressed that the Kingdom remains firmly committed to a peaceful two-state solution, with a view to establishing a just and lasting peace in the Middle East region. In this respect, the Minister recalled that His Majesty King Mohammed VI devoted a large part of his latest Throne Speech to recent developments in the Gaza Strip, illustrating the special interest and personal follow-up that the Sovereign continues to devote to the Palestinian cause. Bensaid also stressed the importance of the partnership and cooperation between the two countries in the cultural field, noting that the two countries are determined to implement various programs and conclude several agreements, particularly in the cultural industry.    For his part, the Palestinian minister expressed his gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, and to the Moroccan people for their constant and unwavering support for the Palestinian question, hailing in this respect the Sovereign’s efforts in favor of the Palestinian cause. Hamdan also praised the role of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, the executive arm of the Al-Quds Committee, in delivering concrete projects with a positive economic and social impact on the Palestinian people. During the meeting, Bensaid gave his Palestinian counterpart an overview of the projects launched by Morocco in the cultural and creative industries sector, stressing their importance in supporting and boosting the economy, particularly in terms of job creation among young people. The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the exchange of expertise, experience and skills with a view to bringing the cultures of the two brotherly peoples, Moroccan and Palestinian, closer together, and to emphasize the need to update the executive program of cultural cooperation between Morocco and Palestine, in addition to cooperation in the digitization of books and manuscripts, while making Moroccan experience in this field available to the Palestinian brothers. The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation and coordination in the cultural field within regional and international institutions in the interests of Morocco and Palestine, and to promote bilateral cultural cooperation.