Morocco The pandemic detracts from the Feast of the Throne
They have been a few months marked by the diplomatic crisis with Spain with Western Sahara as a background. But
Mohamed VI
has avoided loading the ink and has directed his focus towards Algeria, a neighboring country and the main support of the Polisario Front, the Saharawi independence movement, last night in his speech on the occasion of the Feast of the Throne, which commemorates his rise as monarch 22 ago years. "Morocco is committed to consolidating security and stability in its African and Euro-Mediterranean environment, in particular with its Maghreb neighbors," he said. In his speech he was accompanied by the crown prince, Mulay Hasan (on his right), and his brother Mulay Rachid, second in line to the throne.
The monarch has urged Algeria, a country with which the diplomatic tone has tightened in the heat of the crisis with Spain, to "establish
bilateral relations based on trust, dialogue
and good neighborliness." And he specified: "The current state of these relations does not satisfy us and is of no use to the respective interests of our two peoples." He has alluded to common problems: "immigration, smuggling, drug trafficking and human trafficking", which are "the true common enemy".
"We deplore the media and diplomatic tensions that agitate relations between Morocco and Algeria. This damages the image of the two countries and leaves a negative impression, notably on international speakers," he considered. However, he has avoided making direct reference to the diplomatic crisis with Spain.
In a gesture to appease relations,
King Felipe VI congratulated Mohamed VI
on the anniversary of his coronation
this Saturday
, sending him his feelings of "deep shared friendship," according to Efe. The Spanish monarch pronounced these words on his behalf "and on behalf of the Spanish Government and people," according to the message, while at the same time extending "the best wishes for health and prosperity to the very dear Moroccan friendly people." This is the first communication between the two Royal Houses since the bilateral crisis broke out.
The reality is that, in the face of troubled relations with its northern neighbors, Morocco increasingly has its eyes on
Russia and China
, with which it exhibits excellent ties.
The local press yesterday highlighted congratulatory messages from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
"Thanks to our joint efforts, we will continue to develop constructive bilateral cooperation," Putin stressed.
Xi mentioned the need to "deepen mutual political trust" and expand "pragmatic cooperation."
Pandemic
The festivities and celebrations of the Feast of the Throne have had to be suspended for the second consecutive year due to the increase in infections due to the Delta variant. A situation for which the World Health Organization expressed concern on Friday. The country registered 9,128 new cases on Friday, with 35 deaths.
More than 10 million people have already received the second dose of the vaccine
(the total population exceeds 36 million). The vaccination rate is 39% among the 30-40 year old population; 70% between the ages of 40 to 59 and 94% for those over 60. But given the acceleration of infections, the Ministry of Health advocates that the administration of the antidote becomes mandatory and speed up the times. "It is imperative to speed up vaccination," he said in a circular.
The king has devoted much of his speech to the pandemic, thanking all health workers and security forces for their efforts in the fight against Covid-19.
"For everyone, these are difficult times
,
" he
acknowledged. Shortly after, he also referred to the challenge that the country is facing to obtain vaccines: "Morocco is experiencing a challenge of important stature: the battle for access to vaccines." But he stressed that the campaign is developed "in an effective and remarkable way"
On the eve of the Feast of the Throne, the monarch published a
pardon for 1,243 prisoners
, of whom 1,086 saw their sentences lowered while three had their life imprisonment commuted to a temporary sentence, according to the official Map agency.
Faced with the impediment of attending the celebrations, local associations appealed to the population to hang national flags on windows and balconies and to post photos and videos on social networks.
"May our colors illustrate our feelings of pride," they urged.
Economy
The economic situation has also occupied part of the speech, but Mohamed VI has been positive. "Thanks to a collective effort, the national economy shows hopeful signs that announce that we are on the right track to recover the fullness of its capabilities."
In a coup d'état aimed at the sectors of the population most devastated by the health crisis, the Alawite monarch launched in April a
strategy to extend social security protection
for the next four years, which will have an annual cost of 4.7 billion euros. euros. With this, he intends to generalize health insurance and the pension system. In the first phase, farmers, artisans, traders and private service providers are included under this umbrella. Other trades will be gradually included until it is extended to all citizens.
According to the High Commissioner for Planning (HCP), poverty increased sevenfold during the pandemic crisis.
However, despite the hit of the coronavirus, the forecasts of international and Moroccan organizations are optimistic regarding economic growth in 2021. The Central Bank forecasts a growth rate of 5.3% this year, while for 2022 it forecasts a stabilization at 3.3%, according to the newspaper 'Assabah'.
Despite everything, it is the tourism sector that has been most heavily impacted by the pandemic.
Development
The king has also mentioned in his televised message the launch of a National Pact for Development as a framework to define social and economic priorities in what, he has said, will promote "a new revolution of the king and the people."
Mohamed VI has made the flag of his commitment to the development of infrastructures such as the Tangier megaport or high-speed rail projects. The objective is to
turn Morocco into a 'hub'
for outsourcing local production chains and services, which is known as 'nearshoring'. And this also includes enclaves located in Western Sahara, such as Guerguerat, which causes friction within the international community.
"One of the main obstacles to making a decisive commitment to 'nearshoring' in Morocco is the irritability of political relations either with Spain or with the EU as a whole. The issue of the Sahara has always been present, but has gained prominence and, therefore, it can also have a greater distorting impact ", point out
Eduard Soler i Lecha and Martina Valls
, researchers from Cidob, in a recent publication on neighborhood strategies in the Maghreb.
"The crisis between Spain and Morocco, with its European derivatives, and the fact that Rabat has resorted to economic retaliation (suppression of the operation Paso del Estrecho) does not help to convince those who harbor doubts about the convenience or applicability of this strategy. As a counterpoint, it should be noted that the effects of the bilateral crisis of 2021 have not come to alter the industrial relations between the two shores of the Strait, which shows that the interest cushion continues to operate, "they argue.
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