Rabat - Parents of Moroccan students who fled Ukraine to Morocco are concerned about the delay in the academic integration of their children into Moroccan institutions of higher education.
The National Association of Mothers and Fathers of Moroccan Students in Ukraine (ANPEMU) has announced it will organize a “peaceful protest” on Wednesday, August 17, in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Higher Education in Rabat.
The goal of the protest is to denounce “the exclusion of the demands of the students returning from Ukraine,” the association said, demanding the students be granted their right to resume their studies in Moroccan faculties.
More than 8,000 students from Morocco were pursuing their academic studies in Ukraine when Russia invaded the country in February. Moroccans made up the second largest student community in the Eastern European country.
Most Moroccan college students in Ukraine were majoring in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and civil engineering.
Morocco’s Minister of Higher Education Abdellatif Miraoui announced last June that the issue of the Moroccan students returning from Ukraine will be settled in July, but not much has been done as of today.
The association recalled the promises Miraoui made regarding the integration of the students into Morocco’s faculties by having them sit through an eligibility test after Eid Al Adha.
The minister had notably said that the students would have to meet Morocco’s pedagogical requirements, given the competitive nature of the medical and engineering majors.
In addition, the ministry had noted that Morocco was looking into negotiating with Hungary and Bulgaria the possibility of hosting the Moroccan students into the two western European countries’ schools, which have a similar education system to that of Ukraine.
But none of these promises have come to fruition, prompting the association to invite the students concerned, as well as their parents, to participate in the protest on August 17 at 10 am.
Source: Morocco World News.
Twitter has temporarily suspended the account belonging to Russia’s foreign ministry, officials in Moscow have revealed. According to the ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, the punitive measure was imposed after the diplomats cited a Russian military commander, who had alleged the US could have been behind the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, Zakharova posted a message on her Telegram channel, saying that on August 5, Twitter “blocked for seven days the official account of the foreign ministry in English.” The diplomat explained that the harsh reaction had been triggered by the ministry posting a tweet featuring excerpts from a speech delivered earlier by the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, General-Lieutenant, Igor Kirillov.
The ministry’s tweet in question cited claims that the United States Agency for International Development could have been behind the Covid-19 pandemic.
Zakharova argued that it was highly doubtful that Twitter had the means to properly check those claims and was in a position to “call into question the defense ministry’s conclusions based on documents and fresh data.”
She dismissed the suspension as “yet another awkward attempt to shut our mouth.”
According to the diplomat, this was the first time Russia’s foreign ministry had faced “this kind of sanction.” Zakharova went on to explain that individual tweets by the ministry had been blocked before, but not the entire account, albeit for a week.
She branded Twitter’s decision as “beyond good and evil,” pointing out that Russia is “one of the leading countries in the world.”
The diplomat added that Russia’s embassies in the UK and Germany have also faced similar suspensions on multiple occasions, including over the publication of “facts (real and not made up) over the provocation in Bucha.”
Moreover, Zakharova called out Twitter for failing to deal with a “Russophobic bacchanalia on the part of Western politicians, experts and even ordinary users,” or with the activities of “Ukrainian trolls and bots” online.
The Russian official lamented that “direct calls for violence against Russians” are going unchecked on the social media platform. The foreign ministry’s spokeswoman went on to say that she did not recall any cases in which Ukrainian officials, who are “generating simply wild fakes” about the “atrocities/rape allegedly committed by Russian troops,” had been suspended in a similar fashion.
Zakharova warned Twitter that by “trampling on the principle of free speech” Twitter is “sawing off the branch it’s sitting on.” She claimed that the social media giant “has long been stagnating,” with next to no confidence in it and falling user numbers. The diplomat also cited Elon Musk’s refusal to buy Twitter as further proof of its sorry state of affairs.
She concluded by saying that “of course, you can block us, but the truth will out.” Zakharova added that Russia’s foreign ministry will simply cease using American platforms which have become Washington’s “censorship tool.”
As of late Tuesday, the ministry’s account is viewable, though the last message published there is dated August, 5.
The tweet which led to the suspension is preceded by a plaque saying that it “violated the Twitter Rules on sharing false or misleading info that might bring harm to crisis-affected populations.” The platform noted, however, that it had chosen to preserve the message “for accountability purposes.”
Following the start of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine in late February, Russian authorities have repeatedly claimed that they have evidence pointing to the existence of US secret biolaboratories in the eastern European nation. According to Moscow, the researchers had been experimenting with dangerous pathogens there, among other things.
The US and Ukraine have consistently denied the allegations.
In March, the Russian government blocked Twitter in the country, accusing it of spreading “fakes” about its military campaign.
Source: rt.com
Rabat - Morocco has put together a five-year plan to fund education reforms with an eye on increasing the number of undergraduate students by fivefold, according to an official document.
The document specifies that under Morocco’s 2023 draft budget law, the government is set to allocate MAD 4 billion ($389,3 million) by 2027 to boost the number of students enrolled in undergraduate studies.
In a first step, the government would release MAD 583 million ($65.7 million) of the said funds in the course of the 2022-2023 academic year, the document indicates.
Released last week, the document also shows that the 2023 draft budget law would be structured around four main state priorities.
On top of the government’s priority list for the coming year is the need to consolidate Morocco’s efforts toward becoming a social state, notes the document.
Reviving the national economy is listed as the second priority, followed by ensuring territorial justice and maintaining a stable flow of funding to finance sustainable reforms.
In addition to funding education reforms, the government is equally set to reinforce the country’s social safety net by providing direct financial aid to almost seven million children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Under the social program, low-income families could apply directly for a government monthly support package of MAD 300 ($30) per child for up to three children.
The 2023 draft budget law equally details government plans to fund reforms to the country’s healthcare system.
Under a budget of MAD 3 billion ($292 million), the government is set to increase the number of health workers from 68,000 in 2022 to over 90,000 by 2025, with an aim to provide an average of 24 health professionals per every 10,000 capita in 2025, and eventually 45 per every 10,000 capita by 2030.
Source: moroccoworldnews
Beijing has suggested that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-California) Taiwan visit may have been part of a ploy by the US aimed at creating a pretext to deploy more of its military to the region.
In a statement made during his visit to Bangladesh and published on Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that “there are signs that the United States is trying to repeat its old tricks.” The diplomat clarified that Washington has a history of “creating a problem first, and then using it to realize its own strategic plans” elsewhere in the world.
According to the minister, regional players ought to oppose the ramping up of America’s military presence in the vicinity of Taiwan. Beijing reminded Washington that “Taiwan is not part of the United States, but China’s territory,” and that by giving the green light to Pelosi’s visit, the US had reneged on its previously professed commitment to China’s territorial integrity.
Wang went on to describe China’s strong response, which, among other things, included sanctions, as “legitimate, reasonable, lawful, necessary, open and appropriate.” He added that the measures in question are aimed at “deterring the US attempt to ‘use Taiwan to control China.’”
China’s top diplomat argued that Pelosi’s visit condoned separatist forces supporting Taiwanese independence. As the third-ranking person in the US government, Pelosi joined forces with separatists and fought against the Chinese people, he said.
The foreign minister called the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations the “golden rule” for state-to-state relations. “Today, when unilateral bullying is rampant from time to time, the international community should form a clearer consensus on this, make a stronger voice, jointly safeguard the basic norms of international law, and jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of all developing countries.”
Bangladesh issued a statement reiterating its support for Beijing’s One-China policy. China views self-governing Taiwan as a breakaway province and a part of sovereign Chinese territory. It has long been official US policy to acknowledge, without endorsing, China’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan.
Beijing made repeated threats in advance of Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, saying her trip would undermine China’s sovereignty and damage US-Chinese relations. In a telephone call with US President Joe Biden just days before Pelosi traveled to Asia-Pacific, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned, “Those who play with fire will perish by it.”
After those admonitions were ignored and Pelosi went through with her Taiwan visit, China cut off military and climate relations with Washington.
source: rt.com
US President Joe Biden is fueling the Ukraine conflict, which is a “huge crime,” Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters said in an interview released on Saturday.
Waters sat down with CNN’s Michael Smerconish to discuss, in particular, the political views that the rock legend hasn’t shied away from displaying in his new concert tour ‘This Is Not A Drill’, which features a montage of alleged “war criminals,” including a picture of Joe Biden with the caption “WAR CRIMINAL. Just getting started.”
“[Joe Biden] is fueling the fire in Ukraine for start. That’s a huge crime. Why won’t the United States of America encourage [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky to negotiate, obviating the need for this horrific, horrendous war, that’s killing [people]?” he asked.
Waters also pushed back against Smerconish's argument that Ukraine was “invaded” by Russia, noting that the entire crisis should be analyzed in the historical context.
“You need to look at the history… This war is basically about the action and reaction of NATO pushing right up to the Russian border, which they promised they wouldn’t do,” he added, recalling the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s talks with the West on the withdrawal of Moscow’s forces from Eastern Europe.
Waters said that the conflict over Ukraine started as early as 2008, an apparent reference to the NATO summit in Bucharest at which the intentions of Ukraine and Georgia to eventually become full-fledged members of the alliance were supported.
The interview also saw Pink Floyd’s England-born frontman and Smerconish engage in a heated exchange over the American role in WWII. Waters insisted that the US cannot call itself ‘liberators’, adding that Washington entered the war only because of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941. The CNN journalist, however, said the US would have joined the conflict regardless.
Staying on the subject of WWII, the musician argued that the Soviet Union “had already almost won the bloody war” by the time the US entered, adding that “23 million Russians died protecting you and me from the Nazi menace.”
Smerconish responded by saying “you would think the Russians would have learned their lesson from war and wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine – fair?”
Waters pushed back, asking “what the United States would do if the Chinese were putting nuclear-armed missiles into Mexico and Canada.”
“The Chinese are too busy encircling Taiwan as we speak,” Smerconish retorted, to which Rogers reminded his interviewer of the One China principle, accusing the journalist of believing “your site’s propaganda.”
Previously, Waters had condemned the Russian operation, branding it “a criminal mistake in my opinion, the act of a gangster” and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Late last year, Russia made a proposal to NATO and the US to agree on security guarantees under which the bloc would refrain from further expansion, with the potential addition of Ukraine being a particularly contentious point. At the time, Moscow also insisted on the non-deployment of offensive weapons, including nuclear arms, and demanded that NATO forces withdraw to the positions they occupied in 1997.
In March, following the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that the previously proposed security guarantees were no longer valid, citing the drastic changes in the geopolitical landscape.
Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”
In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked.
Source: rt.com
Twitter on Friday informed users of a security bug that had allowed “a bad actor” to obtain and sell the personal data of account holders. The tech giant didn’t provide the number of compromised accounts, but media reports state that more than 5 million users could have been affected.
A company statement said that the system vulnerability, which resulted from a June 2021 code update, made it possible to enter an email address or phone number and learn if either was linked to a specific account.
Twitter fixed the bug in early 2022. In July, however, the company saw a press report suggesting that “someone had potentially leveraged this and was offering to sell the information they had compiled.”
“After reviewing a sample of the available data for sale, we confirmed that a bad actor had taken advantage of the issue before it was addressed,” Twitter revealed.
The company vowed to contact the owners of the accounts that were affected by the “unfortunate” incident. However, Twitter admitted that it had been impossible to confirm every account that was potentially compromised. The company stressed that it is “particularly mindful of people with pseudonymous accounts who can be targeted by state or other actors.”
Although passwords were not exposed and users do not need to do anything to address this specific issue, Twitter came up with a set of recommendations to protect accounts. The owners of pseudonymous accounts have been warned against adding publicly known phone numbers or email addresses, while all users are advised to enable two-factor authentication to protect their personal data.
In late July, the website RestorePrivacy revealed that a hacker who was operating under the username ‘devil’ had put on sale on a well-known hacking forum a database featuring the personal details of 5.4 million Twitter users, including “Celebrities, to Companies, randoms, OGs, etc.”
When reached by RestorePrivacy, this hacker revealed that he was asking for at least $30,000 for the database, which, he stressed, he managed to compile due to “Twitter’s incompetence.” He said that the exact mechanism of how he took advantage of the bug was explained in the January report of the HackerOne website by user ‘zhirinovskiy’, who was the first to warn Twitter of the vulnerability.
Twitter thanked ‘zhirinovskiy’ for “helping keep Twitter secure” and awarded him a $5,040 bounty for his investigation.
The incident is not the first time the personal data of Twitter users has been compromised.
In July 2020, the FBI launched an investigation into a Bitcoin scam attack that left “many highly-visible” accounts, including those of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Barack Obama and Kim Kardashian, affected by hackers. The company said at the time that it had taken “significant steps” to limit the malign actors’ access to its internal systems.
source: rt.com
The American and Indian militaries will hold joint exercises in the Himalayan mountains in October, less than 100km from India’s disputed border with China, CNN reported. The location was announced amid heightened tensions between the US and China over Taiwan, while India and China have been clashing along their mountain border.
The drills will be held in mid-October near the town of Auli in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, an Indian army officer told CNN on Saturday. Auli sits on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, and the exercises will focus on warfare at an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).
Auli is also situated around 95 kilometers (59 miles) from the Line of Actual Control, a loosely-defined border that divides India and China. While both sides claim territory on the other side of this line, it has served as the de-facto border between the two countries since the end of the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
Fighting broke out along this line in 2020 after China objected to India’s construction of a road in its claimed territory. India said that it lost around 20 troops, while China claimed to have lost four.
Tensions have remained high along the line ever since, with India accusing China in May of building a bridge in territory it considers under “illegal occupation.”
Relations between the US and China have also deteriorated significantly in the wake of a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan this week. Beijing responded to the visit by launching large-scale military drills, cutting imports from Taiwan, sanctioning Pelosi and her family, and severing diplomatic ties with Washington in a number of key areas.
While Taiwan has governed itself since 1949, China claims sovereignty over the island. The US acknowledges this sovereignty under the One-China policy, but given Pelosi’s status as the US’ most senior lawmaker and a member of the same political party as President Joe Biden, Beijing perceived the visit as “a serious violation” of this policy.
With China’s military drills continuing into the weekend, White House national security official John Kirby announced on Thursday that the US would conduct “air and maritime transits” through the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks, while the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group will remain stationed in the region.
With both sides flexing their military muscle, Politico reported on Friday that Chinese defense officials are ignoring phone calls from their US counterparts.
General Charles Flynn, the commander of the US Army Pacific, told reporters in June that the exercises would involve air force units from both the US and India, and would serve as a “counterweight” and a “deterrent” to China’s activity along the disputed border. The forthcoming Himalayan drills are part of an annual US-India exercise, which was held last year in Alaska.
Source: rt.com
A Syrian-flagged ship named the Laodicea that docked in the Lebanese port of Tripoli was detained last Saturday, preventing desperately needed flour and barley from reaching people in the Middle East. The move came after Western threats against Beirut and unsubstantiated claims from Kiev that the cargo was stolen from Ukraine. The ship, which has been on a US blacklist since 2015 for allegedly carrying shipments from sanctioned Crimea, is now under investigation.
On Friday, allegations emerged in Western media, citing the Ukrainian embassy in Beirut, that “stolen” flour and barley had been transferred to the Lebanese port of Tripoli and that Kiev had warned the Lebanese government against buying the grain. The news was said to have sparked protests from Western governments “warning” Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, over the allegedly stolen cargo. It later turned out that Kiev possessed no evidence that the flour and barley aboard the ship was from Ukraine. Despite this, Lebanon has now seized the ship and will act according to legal proceedings on the issue, after reported Western pressure.
The Ukrainian embassy in Beirut told Reutersthat "the ship has traveled from a Crimean port that is closed to international shipping, carrying 5,000 tonnes of barley and 5,000 tonnes of flour that we suspect was taken from Ukrainian stores," without presenting evidence to support the claim. An official from a private firm responsible for the import of the grain, Loyal Agro Co LTD, based in Turkey, not only denied that the goods were Ukrainian, but also clarified that the ship was carrying 8,000 tonnes of flour and 1,700 tonnes of barley in total. The vessel was also said to have been seeking private buyers in Lebanon, not a sale to the Lebanese government, and was destined to travel on to Syria after its stop in Tripoli.
Additionally, the Russian embassy in Beirut said that it had “no information regarding the Syrian vessel or a cargo brought to Lebanon by a private company.” An official at the Lebanese port authority also stated that there was “nothing wrong” with the cargo aboard the ship. None of this however, was enough to prevent the issue being pursued and for Lebanon to be threatened.
What makes this issue troubling, is that - without evidence – Western nations and Kiev can openly pressure Lebanon to keep much needed supplies away from its people, in this case potentially forever and for at least 72 hours under detention. The country is currently suffering its worst ever economic collapse, enduring shortages in food, medicine, electricity and essential goods. According to some UN estimates, some 78% of the Lebanese population now live in poverty. The food shortage has led to long queues at bakeries, sometimes resulting in gunfire and brawls between people fighting over the limited supply of bread. The Ukraine crisis has made Lebanon’s predicament even tougher, with a lack of flow of supplies from Ukraine and difficulties bringing in Russian goods due to sanctions. The Western “Caesar Act” sanctions against Syria have also made the situation even worse, as Lebanon has historically benefited greatly from its bigger neighbor.
What Kiev is doing, by threatening the future of bilateral relations between Lebanon and Ukraine over this issue, could be interpreted as blackmail. Ukraine has 20 million tonnes of wheat that it still hasn’t exported and a severing of relations with Beirut would mean that Lebanon could potentially miss out on acquiring it during a food shortage. The Lebanese government is clearly in a weak position and Kiev, backed by the power of NATO, is now attempting to bully Beirut over unsubstantiated claims that are denied by all sides, notwithstanding that officials won’t even state the allegation with certainty.
Another issue here is the double-standard at play, whilst Western nations suffer economically themselves, there is no hesitation at sending billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine every other week. Yet when it comes to simply amending sanctions, after pledging to do so, in order to allow Egypt to send gas to ease the energy crisis in Lebanon, Washington still refuses to allow it, a year later.
Instead, based upon unsubstantiated claims, Lebanon is forced to suffer even more by having basic food supplies dangled over its head. Whilst the West acts holier-than-thou on the issue of unsubstantiated claims of Ukraine’s grain being sold by private firms in Lebanon, it seemingly forgets that the US illegally occupies neighboring Syria’s most fertile agricultural lands, in addition to the majority of its oil and gas fields.
America has repeatedly been accused of smuggling Syrian grain and oil into Iraq, resources which should belong to the Syrian government and could be part of the answer to Lebanon’s current shortage.
Source: rt.come
Rabat - AMEA Power, a Dubai-based clean power producer, said yesterday that its most recent green energy venture in Morocco is financed by Attijariwafa bank, the country’s largest banking group.
In collaboration with GPM Holding, AMEA Power has already launched construction works on the solar plant in Northern Morocco under a budget cover of $37 million, the website Renewables Now reported today. The 34-MW solar energy plant is EMEA Power’s first project in Morocco.
Once operational, the solar energy plant is expected to produce an annual power input of about 66,149 MWh, enough to meet the energy needs of over 19,200 annually.
The production input from the plant is to power the operations of local utility company Amendis, a subsidiary of Veolia Morocco, under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The company will use the energy input for drinking water and electricity distribution operations, noted Renewables Now’s report.
Back in April, EMEA Power announced winning the tender to build two solar power plants from Morocco’s Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) and the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development. The two solar plants will produce a total of 72 MW.
The tender is part of the Noor PV II program, the second phase of a large-scale state vision to bolster Morocco’s green energy production capacity.
Through the program, Morocco aims to reach a total solar energy production capacity of 330 MW sourced from different sites.
Reaching this goal would bring Morocco closer to its target of raising the share of renewable energy in the national electricity consumption to 52% by 2030.
Morocco is “an important market,” EMEA said in a statement after securing the tender, adding that the country “has established itself as a regional leader in clean energy, advancing large-scale renewable energy projects.”
Source: moroccoworldnews
Rabat - Morocco’s food inflation reached 8.4% at the end of May, down from 9.1% which was recorded in March and April following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The surge in food prices resulting from a severe drought and global disruption of the supply chain due to the war in Ukraine led to a significant increase in Morocco’s food consumer price index (CPI) to amount to 9.5% at the end of May, the World bank said on Friday in its latest food security update.
Still, Morocco’s surge in food CPI - which measures the price of a market basket of goods purchased by households - remains lower than Egypt’s (24.2%) and Lebanon’s (216%).
The World Bank noted that Morocco saw a 32% drop in cumulative rainfall at the end of May 2022 compared to a normal year, which led to a 17.1% shrink in vegetable production. This is estimated to have contributed to the increase in food prices, thus driving up the CPI and food inflation.
According to the bank, 93.8% of low-income countries, 89.1% of middle-income countries, and 89% of upper-middle-income countries have recorded over 5% inflation rates while many experienced double-digit inflation.
As of July 29, the global agricultural price index was 19% higher than in January 2021.
Yet, the recent agreement between Russia, Ukraine, the UN, and Turkey to open Ukraine’s Black Sea ports for the exportation of more than 20 million tonnes of grains is expected to alleviate the war’s impact on poor countries facing overlapping food and debt crises. The list of such countries includes Afghanistan, Eritrea, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan, and Yemen.
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian Grain Association recently highlighted that, compared to last year, the war has resulted in a 25% cut in harvest, a 35% decrease in production, and a 41% drop in export capacity.
The World Bank notably warned of the lingering impact of the war in Ukraine, underlining that the war “has altered global patterns of trade, production, and consumption of commodities in ways that will keep prices at historically high levels through the end of 2024 exacerbating food insecurity and inflation.”
In a July blog post, the bank recommended “market adjustments alongside government policies to improve energy efficiency and boost energy production can resolve commodity market imbalances, although this process can be prolonged.”
The blog added that current “government policies have focused on fuel subsidies and tax breaks that can exacerbate price pressures by sustaining high demand.”
Source: Morocco World News.
Grocery stores in Finland could have to take turns closing for hours at a time to reduce their energy usage this winter, the country’s grid operator told news outlet YLE on Sunday. With fuel shortages expected, Finnish households will also be told to lower their consumption.
According to the grid operator, Finland’s roughly 2,800 food stores will need to come to arrangements with each other over who will close and who will stay open if power is rationed in a particular area. This kind of agreement is especially important in rural areas to ensure that all the outlets in one town or village don’t end up shutting at the same time, YLE noted.
Finland has not escaped the Europe-wide rise in fuel and energy costs that followed the EU’s sanctioning of Russia after Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine in February. In May it applied along with Sweden to join the NATO alliance and has already had its gas supply from Russia cut off after refusing to pay for the commodity in rubles, as Russia had asked all“unfriendly” countries to do.
Finland only uses gas to generate around 3.6% of its electricity, with most power generated in the Nordic nation coming from hydro and nuclear, per figures from 2020. Until recently, however, Finland imported just under a fifth of its power from Russia and Estonia. Finland voluntarily dropped the amount of Russian power it was importing in April, and was cut off entirely by its Russian supplier, RAO Nordic, which said it had stopped receiving payment from Finland.
The country’s newest nuclear reactor, originally slated to open in 2009, has not yet come on line either. YLE reported last month that the reactor will not start producing power until December, when it is expected to meet nearly one sixth of the country’s demand. Equipment malfunctions and other technical issues have plagued the nuclear project since its construction began in 2005.
With a crunch looming once the cold Finnish winter sets in, the government will urge households to lower their consumption from August onwards, as is already happening in several other European countries.
Along with the EU’s 26 other member states, Finland has also committed to voluntarily lowering its gas consumption by 15% over the winter, under an agreement that could become mandatory if the bloc declares a state of emergency.
Washington has expressed its readiness to negotiate “a new arms control framework” with Russia to potentially replace the landmark New START, or Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. US President Joe Biden made the remarks on Monday in a statement ahead of the tenth Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference.
“Today, my Administration is ready to expeditiously negotiate a new arms control framework to replace New START when it expires in 2026. But negotiation requires a willing partner operating in good faith,” Biden said.
At the same time, the US president claimed that Moscow “has shattered peace in Europe” with its “brutal and unprovoked” military operation in Ukraine, which became “an attack on fundamental tenets of international order.”
“In this context, Russia should demonstrate that it is ready to resume work on nuclear arms control with the United States,” he stated.
Biden also called upon Beijing to take part in talks on nuclear disarmament.
“China also has a responsibility as an NPT nuclear weapons state and a member of the P5 to engage in talks that will reduce the risk of miscalculation and address destabilizing military dynamics. There is no benefit to any of our nations, or for the world, to resist substantive engagement on arms control and nuclear non-proliferation,” he said.
While Moscow has repeatedly called upon the US to unconditionally extend the deal for another five years, Washington floated various proposals on its amendment, namely calling upon China to participate.
The landmark New START is effectively the last major arms-control agreement left standing between Russia and the US. The agreement was salvaged after Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, shortly before the deal was set to expire.
Beijing has consistently rejected attempts by the former US administration to drag it into the framework and declined to join talks on the expansion of the US-Russia agreement. China has argued that its nuclear arsenal is too small compared to the stockpiles maintained by the US and Russia.
Conservative US author Ann Coulter has argued that the US and UK “have [their] own problems” and shouldn’t care about Ukraine, which she pointed out was historically under Russian influence. With British broadcaster Piers Morgan vehemently disagreeing, Coulter blamed the expansion of the NATO alliance for the current conflict.
Speaking to Morgan on Thursday, Coulter declared “on the NATO thing, I’m with Noam Chomsky, Pat Buchannan, George Kennan, once the Soviet Union fell there’s no point to NATO, and we keep encroaching, encroaching, encroaching,” referring to the alliance’s expansion into Eastern Europe since the fall of the USSR, something its leaders assured Russia it would not do.
Morgan, a staunch supporter of Ukraine who recently interviewed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his wife Elena, argued otherwise, claiming that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine proves “that’s what NATO’s there for.”
“I’m sorry, Ukraine was historically part of the Russian empire of influence,” Coulter countered. “I’m not defending Putin… but why should Americans care about this? We have our own problems. Why should the British care about this?”
Over Morgan accusing her of wanting “the Soviet Union back,” Coulter said that the UK should focus on reducing immigration, and while Morgan brought up American assistance to Britain during World War II, Coulter countered that Putin is “not attacking England.”
“You can’t compare everything to Hitler,”Coulter sneered.
Coulter is known for her anti-interventionism, and threw her support behind then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016 after he vowed to end America’s “endless wars.” Less than a week after Russian troops entered the country this February, she called on Republicans to “stop talking about Ukraine.”
Claiming that support for Ukraine ultimately means more money for US defense contractors, she called on the party to do something about inflation, immigration, crime, and anti-white racism in schools.
“Republicans ought to be talking their heads off about the unprecedented crisis at our border, illegal aliens hauling meth and fentanyl into our country, rampant shoplifting, carjacking and assaults destroying neighborhoods in our country,” she wrote at the time.
Source: rt.com
Moscow considers Israel’s anti-Russian stance on the Ukrainian conflict regrettable, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. During a TV talk show appearance on Tuesday, she noted that West Jerusalem’s recent rhetoric was “absolutely unconstructive”and “unobjective.”
Relations between Russia and Israel have soured since the launch of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, and Zakharova drew attention to the fact that this “did not happen by itself.”
“In recent months we have heard absolutely unconstructive and, most importantly, biased rhetoric from Tel Aviv,” Zakharova stated. She noted that anti-Russian assessments coming from various levels of authority in Israel raised serious questions in Moscow, especially since they were being framed in an exclusively pro-Ukrainian manner.
“And this was not in terms of supporting the Ukrainian people, but only in support of the Kiev regime,” the diplomat noted, adding that the rhetoric was “absolutely in tune with the strange and wild voice of the West.”
Zakharova also emphasized that the “impulse”to complicate bilateral relations with Israel did not come from Russia.
“When we now hear comments from the leadership of this country that some of Russia’s actions on the bilateral track may affect relations, I would like to ask if these same people do not think that their actions and statements over these months have already affected bilateral relations,” she said.
The spokeswoman’s statements come after Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid ordered his country’s foreign ministry to prepare a set of reactionary measures in the event of the Russian branch of the Jewish Agency being shut down.
The prime minister warned on Sunday that the closure of the quasi-governmental agency, which promotes the immigration of people with Jewish heritage to Israel, would have a “grave”impact on ties between Moscow and West Jerusalem.
In the Tuesday interview, Zakharova stated that the fate of the organization in Russia was in the hands of Russia’s justice ministry and was solely a matter of law.
Last week, a Moscow court said it had received a formal request from the Justice Ministry to liquidate the Russian branch of the agency, citing alleged violations of local laws related to data storage and protection. A pretrial hearing on the case is set to be held on Thursday.
The Kremlin has also insisted that the situation around the Jewish Agency was a matter of law and has warned against politicizing the issue.“Indeed, there are questions for the Jewish Agency regarding adherence to Russian laws. But this situation should not be politicized or projected onto the entirety of Russian-Israeli relations,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Relations between Moscow and West Jerusalem have considerably worsened since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in late February. Israel has condemned the operation as a “breach of international law,” however it has so far refrained from joining international sanctions against Moscow. It has also only sent humanitarian assistance and non-lethal aid to Ukraine, unlike other backers that have supplied Kiev with weapons.
Source: rt.com
An eminent economist, Nouriel Roubini, has warned of an impending severe recession, as the US government tries to fight against a four-decades-high inflation rate.
“I think there are many reasons why we are going to have a severe recession and a severe debt and financial crisis,” Roubini told Bloomberg on Monday.
The US economy is in a period of stagflation (low growth and high inflation), while debt ratios are “historically high,” Roubini explained, suggesting that the same applies to other developed nations worldwide.
“The idea that this is going to be short and shallow is totally delusional.” he added.
Roubini, a New York University professor and chief executive of Roubini Macro Associates, was dubbed ‘Doctor Doom’ by Wall Street for predicting the financial crisis of 2008-09.
Economists have been debating whether a recession will hit the US economy this year, as the Federal Reserve has been trying to rein in soaring inflation by hiking its benchmark interest rate. US inflation hit 9.1% in June, the highest rate in more than 40 years.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen earlier denied that the American economy was in recession, saying the nation was instead going through a “necessary and appropriate”slowdown.
Rabat - The Moroccan Dirham (MAD) lost 1.14% of its value against the Euro while it appreciated by 0.29% against the US dollar between July 14 to 16, according to data from Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM).
Morocco’s treasury reserve on July 15 stood at MAD 331.2 billion ($32 billion), showing an increase of 1.8% from a week before and a 10% year-on-year increase.
During the same period, the Casablanca stock exchange traded in the green, with the Masi indexshowing a weekly growth of 1.3%, under the 10.6% average since the start of the year.
The Masi performance is driven by the 4.7% growth within Morocco’s telecommunications sectors, followed by a 1.2% growth in the construction industry, and 0.8% growth in the banking sector.
However, Morocco’s transport and real estate sectors fell by 0.8% and 1.3% respectively, BAM noted.
The country’s overall trading volume increased from MAD 448.6 million ($43 million) to MAD 693.9 million ($68 million), including MAD 171.7 million ($16 million) under the initial public offering (IPO) of disty Technologies on the new alternative market dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Disty Technologies is the first company to enter the new alternative market of the Casablanca Stock Exchange.
Meanwhile, the daily average trading volume settled at MAD 48.1 million ($4 million), down from MAD 74.8 million ($7 million) recorded last week.
During this period, no auction operations were carried out on the foreign exchange market, the Central Bank says in its latest weekly bulletin.
Earlier in July, the euro hit parity with the US dollar for the first time in 20 years, before decreasing even further and dipping below its American counterpart.
The decrease was caused by repercussions of the Ukrainewar and the European Central Bank’s failure to hike interest rates to keep up with inflation.
Source: moroccoworldnews
Rabat - This year’s US-Africa Business Summit, scheduled to be held in Washington DC on December 13-15, will build on the economic cooperation between the US and Africa, according to a statement by US President Joe Biden.
The summit will mainly aim to “reinforce the U.S.-Africa commitment to democracy and human rights,” as well as mitigating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and promoting food security, added the statement.
“I look forward to working with African governments, civil society, diaspora communities across the United States, and the private sector to continue strengthening our shared vision for the future of U.S.-Africa relations,” Biden’s statement concluded.
Some, such as US Senator Jim Risch, have said the scheduling of the summit is “long overdue,” criticizing American foreign policy’s perceived lack of focus on Africa.
A previous version of the summit was held in 2014 under Barack Obama, and saw attendance by 50 African leaders, including 37 heads of state.
The coming summit was first announced by Vice President Kamala Harris, in a video message that was shown last Wednesday at the US-Africa Business Summit held in Marrakech.
In the video message, Harris emphasized the importance of the private sector in accelerating economic growth, noting that she believes in the power of public private partnerships to achieve that goal.
"President Joe Biden and I realize the critical importance of strengthening relations with Africa," she said, adding that the current administration aims to promote “inclusive and sustainable development” in Africa.
Africa is a core component of the Biden Administration’s vision, CEO of the US Africa Development Foundation (USADF) Travis Adkins told Morocco World News during the Marrakech summit, emphasizing the continent’s potential for economic advancement.
Along with other G7 leaders, President Biden recently made a pledge to raise $600 billion over the next five years to finance projects in developing countries, including in Africa, in an apparent bid to counter China’s multi trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Last week’s US-Africa summit in Marrakech brought together officials and investors from the US with African counterparts, allowing them to discuss the obstacles the continent faces as well as what can be done to improve its business ecosystem.
For Morocco, the summit also meant a chance to advertise itself as an attractive spot for investors -- not only to invest in Morocco but also to use the Moroccan market as a gateway to gaining a foothold in the rest of the continent.
Source: Morocco World News.
EU nations have agreed on a controversial scheme to slash gas consumption in preparation for a possible complete stoppage of supplies from Russia, diplomats have told German news agency DPA.
Some members – led by Hungary and Greece – have expressed strong objections to the proposal.
With the level of reliance on Russia gas varying between member states, the proposal by the European Commission had been met with criticism from many governments within the EU.
The emergency plan will see member states voluntarily reduce their consumption of natural gas by 15% between August 2022 and the end of March 2023, the sources said.
The hope is that the measure will help “to soften the impact of a potential total stoppage in Russian gas supplies,” according to DPA.
The plan will likely be approved during a summit of EU energy ministers in Brussels later on Tuesday, the diplomats said.
As she arrived for the meeting in the Belgian capital, European Union energy policy chief Kadri Simson said she expected the ministers to reach a deal on gas rationing.
She argued that Russian gas giant Gazprom’s announcement that gas supply to the EU would be cut further this week due to the need to fix a turbine on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was “politically motivated.”
“We know that there is no technical reason to do so... And exactly for that reason, the pre-emptive reduction of our gas demand is a wise strategy,” Simson insisted.
The so-called “Save Gas for a Safe Winter”proposal had been proposed by the European Commission a week ago. It urged all EU member states to lower their gas consumption by 15% by switching to renewable energy or even coal, oil and nuclear power, as well as by instructing their citizens to ration their use of energy.
The idea caused a lot of protests within the bloc, especially in southern Europe. The Spanish minister for ecological transition insisted the plan was “not necessarily the most effective nor the most efficient nor the most just,” while the Portuguese secretary of state for environment and energy slammed it as “unsustainable” and “disproportionate.”
France, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Denmark, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands and Poland were also among the countries that spoke out against the cuts.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended the plan again on Monday, insisting the bloc “must be prepared for the worst-case scenario: a complete halt to gas supplies, sooner or later.”
In an interview with DPA, she described Moscow as “not a reliable partner for Europe’s energy supply,” claiming that “Gazprom has deliberately kept its storage levels low.” The company had reduced or cut off supply to 12 EU member states, von der Leyen added.
Von Der Leyen expressed confidence that the EU energy ministers would support the plan, as they “understand their responsibility” to see Europe safely through the winter.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected claims that gas supplies could be cut off to the EU completely. Despite tensions in relations between Moscow and Brussels over Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Gazprom was “ready to pump as much as necessary,” but it was the EU that “closed everything themselves,” he argued.
Source:rt.com
Rabat - King Mohammed VI has congratulated Morocco’s women national football team on their outstanding performances throughout the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon).
Despite losing the Wafcon final on Saturday to South Africa, the Atlas Lionesses earned the support of Moroccan fans who have been left satisfied with the team’s performances throughout the competition.
A fan of the Atlas Lionesses’ outstanding Wafcon performances, King Mohammed VI held a phone conversation with the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), the coach of the women’s national team Reynald Pedros, and the squad captain Ghizlane Chebbak.
During the phone conversations, the Moroccan monarch “expressed his pride in Morocco’s qualification to the final of the continental competition, his sincere congratulations to [the team’s] technical and administrative staff, as well as to players for giving “the best of themselves and accomplishing an excellent run” in the competition.
The King also commended the team for their qualification for the 2023 World Cup.
Morocco’s women national football team earned a strong, widespread following during the competition for making history by reaching the Wafcon final for the first time ever and qualifying to their World Cup for the first time as well.
The team’s uplifting performances won the hearts and minds of millions of Moroccans, many of whom flocked to Rabat’s Moulay Abdllah stadium on Saturday to watch the Wafcon final match.
The Atlas Lionesses’ brilliant performances during the tournament paid off as the squad’s captain, Ghizlane Chebbak, was named best player of the 2022 Wafcon.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) presented Chebbak with the “Woman of the Tournament” award following the game against South Africa.
Source: Morocco World News.
Rabat - Morocco’s women national football team lost the Africa Women Cup of Nations’ (Wafcon) final to South Africa on Saturday.
South Africa won tonight’s match against Moroccowith a score of 2-1 .
South Africa’s football team opened the match with a goal in the 63 minute of the game through mid-fielder Magaia Hildah.
Less than ten minutes later, the South African mild-filder scored a second goal for her team.
The score prompted a renewed alert among the Lionesses, who soon brought smiles back to their fans.
Morocco’s forward Rosella Ayane scored the first goal at the 81 minute mark.
Despite their defeat in the final, the Moroccan football team produced spectacular performances throughout the tournament -- particularly during their matches against Botswana and Nigeria.
After defeating Botswana, Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses secured a spot for the North African country in the 2023 World Cup which will take place in New Zealand and Australia.
The Atlas Lionesses displayed their quality throughout the competition, and many of the football players made local and regional headlines for their stunning performances.
In a recent interview with Morocco World News, forward star Rosella Ayane emphasized how she was thrilled to see the squad improve and reach new historic achievements.
The football player said that qualifying for the Wafcon final represents an achievement itself, emphasizing that this opportunity showed how Morocco is capable of participating in any big competition.
The Moroccan team earned support from football fans who flocked in thousands to watch their games.
Like the previous games throughout the competition, tonight’s game was attended by over 40,000 people in addition to viewers watching the game from their home.
Source: Morocco World News
Rabat - The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded today a grant to Marrakech’s electricity and water distributor (RADEEMA) for a feasibility study that aims to transform the power distribution facility into a smart grid.
Africa Climate Solutions, a Washington-based sustainable development firm, is set to conduct the study for Morocco’s unprecedented project, which will serve as a model for other Moroccan cities, USTDA said in a press release.
The project seeks to reduce RADEEMA’s technical and non-technical losses to address power outages in Marrakech and support the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid.
The feasibility study is expected to define the technical, economic, and regulatory framework for the proposed project, as well as develop an implementation plan to guide the deployment of smart grid infrastructure in Marrakech.
Commenting on the grant, Nadia el-Hilali, General Manager of RADEEMA, said, “We are honored to be the recipient of USTDA’s grant for the smart grid feasibility study.”
She further noted that the project would enable “RADEEMA [to] contribute to achieving the objectives of our national energy strategy to integrate renewable energy while reducing losses on the network.”
Lawrence M. Randolph, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Morocco, pointed out that “this project is a great example of the value that U.S. government expertise can bring by connecting American companies with Moroccan partners to further support Morocco’s ambitious clean energy goals.”
Besides underpinning Morocco’s renewables objectives, the smart-grid project supports USTDA’s global partnership for climate-smart infrastructure, which seeks to support clean transport and energy infrastructure projects in emerging markets, such as Morocco.
“Smart grids are an important component of USTDA’s climate-smart infrastructure portfolio,” said Enoh Ebong, USTDA’s Director, stressing their role in advancing “power sector efficiency and facilitat[ing] the integration of renewable sources of power, including rooftop solar, into the grid.”
In 2018, USTDA provided Morocco with a grant to finance the country’s feasibility study for the development of liquified natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. US Lixia Capsia Gestionis conducted the study to assess the prospects of building an LNG import terminal and degassing facility that could be linked to the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline (MEG).
With the closure of MEG in 2021, Morocco announced its plans to enter the LNG market. Today, the North African country is using the closed transnational pipeline to transport regasified imported LNG to Spanish stations. The United States is reportedly the sole exporter of LNG to Morocco.
In April, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Leila Benali announced national plans to consolidate energy infrastructure by developing gas pipelines, ports, storage, and re-conversion units for LNG.
Despite serving as a regional leader in the renewable energy sector, Morocco remains heavily reliant on fossil fuel imports due to the lack of natural reserves and domestic production of oil and gas.
Source: moroccoworldnews
Reports have surfaced this week that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit southeast China’s Taiwan region in August. If this happens, it will be the highest level of contact between US officials and separatist forces in Taiwan, plunging Washington-Beijing relations to a new low.
This sort of announcement has been made before. Pelosi previously planned a trip to Taiwan in April this year but had to cancel after testing positive for COVID-19. It was anticipated that Pelosi would move forward with her trip at another time, setting the stage for this latest development in the US-China saga.
Pelosi is the third-highest level official in the US government. If something happens to President Joe Biden which prevents him from fulfilling his duties, she is second in line for the White House after Vice President Kamala Harris. An official visit by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the Taiwan region is an extraordinarily high-level endorsement by the US of Taiwan’s so-called government.
That’s why China has promised “resolute and forceful measures” in response to this development, should it take place. China’s foreign ministry said that Pelosi’s delegation would "have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, and send a gravely wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces."
"If the US insists on going down the wrong path, China will definitely take resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity," ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a news conference. "The United States must be fully responsible for all the consequences caused by this."
As always, however, Beijing did not put all its cards on the table as to what its response would be. That said, it’s certainly not a bluff. I believe, first of all, that Pelosi will almost certainly get herself and her immediate family, including her husband who has business dealings on the Chinese mainland, placed on a sanctions list. There could also be a significant military response.
Chinese officials have made it clear that reunifying Taiwan with the mainland is one of their top priorities. They’ve also said repeatedly that Beijing would fight “at all costs”to prevent secession, as Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe put it at the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last month.
Hu Xijin, an influential columnist for the Global Times, made a bold suggestion about how Beijing could stand up to Pelosi. He suggestedthat People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft “accompany” Pelosi’s plane as it enters the island’s airspace. The significance of this, he said, “would overwhelm Pelosi’s visit.” He even went on that he believes his suggestion is one of the options Beijing has on the table.
If indeed China retaliates against what it sees as a threat to its national sovereignty with military action, this raises the chances for a direct military confrontation between the US and China. For the vast majority of the people in this world who see avoiding the annihilation of our species as desirable, this would be a negative development. The US has the sole responsibility to avoid bringing this to fruition.
But even if Pelosi cancels her trip again out of common sense or another bout of COVID-19, the US has to give the world answers about its official position regarding the one-China principle. It must make a clear choice about whether it will honor its diplomatic commitments to Beijing or recklessly stand behind “Taiwan independence.” This has to be more thorough and articulate than Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s speech on China this May where he somehow spoke for over 44 minutes and said nothing.
Furthermore, I would also say that the US has to answer questions about the coordinated efforts it’s launching to undermine Beijing while boosting Taipei. One example of this is through the European Parliament, where Washington-supported politicians have undermined EU-China relations by freezing the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) and issuing a series of resolutions that embolden “Taiwan independence.”
In fact, European Parliament Vice President Nicola Beer met in Taiwan this week with regional leader Tsai Ing-wen, which was preemptively condemned by China’s foreign ministry as a violation of the political foundations of the EU-China relationship.
Some may see the only-verbal response from China over this visit as a foreshadowing of what’s to come (or not to come) for Nancy Pelosi – but the European Parliament, and the EU in general, are too heavily influenced by Washington to do anything to prevent a dangerous escalation.
Source: rt.com
The US must stop “stealing” oil from the Syrian people, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Tuesday, after meeting with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts in Tehran.
The three guarantors of the Astana Process also agreed that the US should leave illegally held land in the trans-Euphrates region, and cease making the humanitarian crisis in Syria worse with unilateral sanctions.
“[The US has to] stop robbing the Syrian state, the Syrian people, exporting oil illegally,” Putin told reporters on Tuesday evening. He said this is the “common position” of Russia, Iran, and Turkey.
Several hundred US troops are illegally present in Syria, mainly controlling the oil wells and wheat fields in the country’s northeast, controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia since the defeat of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). The US-backed SDF has refused to reintegrate with the government in Damascus, which Washington wishes to see overthrown.
Since 2019, the US has sought to punish anyone trying to assist the reconstruction of war-torn Syria via the ‘Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act’, accusing the government of President Bashar Assad of war crimes and blocking all assistance to Damascus.
Putin said on Tuesday that such sanctions have had “disastrous results” and that humanitarian aid to Syria “should not be politicized.”
During Tuesday’s summit in Tehran, Putin met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In a joint declaration, the three presidents confirmed their conviction that “there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict,” only a political solution under the leadership of the UN. They also condemned the “unilateral sanctions violating international law,” which are exacerbating the humanitarian situation in Syria, urging the UN and other international organizations to “increase assistance to all Syrians, without discrimination, politicization and preconditions.”
Russia sent an expeditionary force to Syria in September 2015 at the request of Damascus, to help defeat IS and other terrorist groups. In January 2017, Moscow, Ankara, and Tehran launched the Astana Process – named after the capital of Kazakhstan – to resolve the conflict in Syria, which began in 2011.
Source: rt.com
Rabat - German ambassador to Morocco Robert Dolger reaffirmed his country’s willingness to further deepen cooperation with Morocco in all fields.
The German ambassador made his remarks on Wednesday, July 14 during talks with Speaker of Morocco’s House of Councilors Naam Miyara.
The talks focused on areas of bilateral cooperation and ways to further boost diplomatic ties.
A communique from the House of Councilors said that Miyara expressed his "great appreciation for the Moroccan-German relations, which are witnessing a new start.”
In May 2021, Morocco recalled its ambassador to Berlin for consultations amid deepening diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
In a statement, Morocco’s Foreign Ministry said the decision to recall Ambassador Alaoui was due to Germany’s “antagonistic” activism following former US President Donald Trump’s proclamation recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Germany’s new government, however, has worked tirelessly to overcome the tensions with Morocco, supporting Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as a viable contribution to the UN-led political process that seeks to find a mutually acceptable solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Satisfied with recent developments, Miyara emphasized the importance of Germany as a pivotal country, saying that its experience is a source of inspiration in both the economic and political fields.
For his part, the German envoy stressed that the recent developments in bilateral ties between the two countries provide a solid basis to build a “prosperous joint future and consolidate vitality in bilateral relations” and to work to expand and consolidate cooperation -- particularly in the field of renewables.
Source: Morocco World News.
