The Moroccan ambassador in Canberra, Karim Medrek, held a series of meetings with South Australian officials recently on opportunities for bilateral cooperation in various sectors.
During his meeting with the State’s governor, Hieu Van Le, the Moroccan diplomat praised trade relations between the Kingdom and South Australia, in the agricultural field as well as cooperation in high-tech sectors, such as research in water resources management.
The ambassador also highlighted Morocco’s progress in several areas such as migration management, cultural diversity, the environment, the fight against violent extremism, as well as its positioning as a key trade platform in Africa and within the main regional groupings in the Mediterranean.
In addition, the Moroccan model of combating violent extremism was discussed at a meeting with members of the State’s government, notably the Prime minister’s Department and the Attorney General.
During meetings held with speaker of the Legislative Council (the State’s Parliament), Andrew McLachlan, and president of the Local Government Association, Susan Clearihan, the two parties examined cooperation between local authorities in South Australia and their counterparts in Morocco.
In the same vein, the meeting held with Adelaide’s mayor, Martin Haese, provided an opportunity to learn about the city’s local development programs and to review initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation in the field of urban management, cultural exchanges as well as environmental protection and preservation policies.
On multiculturalism management issues, the Moroccan ambassador also held talks with chairman of the Multicultural Affairs Commission of the government of South Australia, Norman Schueler. This meeting was an occasion to present aspects of Morocco’s plural identity and to promote its constant openness to other cultures, through dialogue and cooperation.
Furthermore, opportunities to strengthen partnership in the field of education and research were discussed with president of Adelaide University, Prof. Peter Rathjen and members of the “Centre for Energy Technology”.
