This delegation took part in numerous meetings with various representatives of institutions (Parliament, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foundations and think tank) and exchanges with Austrian youth involved in politics and civil society in order to deepen relations between Morocco and Austria.
On the occasion of this exchange, a conference organized in partnership with the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, under the theme “Coexistence among Civilizations: Successful models”, took place with the effective participation of André Azoulay, Advisor to HM the King, accompanied also by Nawal El Moutawakel, Olympic champion and former Minister of Youth and Sports and member of the International Olympic Committee, and Nadia Bouaida, Chairwoman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Islamic Affairs and Moroccan Expatriates at the House of Representatives.
This event saw the participation of high-level Austrian personalities, namely, Claudia Plakolm, Secretary of State for Youth, Nico Marchetti, Member of the Austrian Parliament and Chairman of the North Africa & Austria Parliamentary Friendship Group, Heinz Fassmann, President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and former Minister of Science and Education, Martina Schubert, Deputy Director of the Vienna School of International Studies, and Ebrahim Ivo Radwan, entrepreneur & initiator of Young Austrian Professionals. It was an opportunity to highlight the uniqueness of the Moroccan model of coexistence, based on the values of peace and living together.
All speakers from the Austrian side agreed that Morocco is strongly committed to promoting civilizational dialogue, but also is a player who acts concretely to enhance its model considered ”unique and hopeful”.
During this conference and over the course of a speech lasting more than an hour, the Advisor to HM the King highlighted “the consistency, specificity and social modernity of the society’s project implemented by Morocco.”
“A project which our partners would be well advised to take the right measure, with reason and objectivity, especially with regard to the place made for pluralism of all its diversities and the richness of its complexity,” he stressed, recalling that Morocco celebrates at the end of February 2023, the 240th anniversary of the establishment of its diplomatic relations with Austria (February 28, 1783).
Welcoming the official visit to Morocco of the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer (from 27 February to 01 March), Azoulay put into perspective the ”historical depth of the contract of trust and mutual respect between the Moroccan and Austrian civilizations which, more than 2 centuries ago, were already authorities on the international scene”.
”Authority that knows today another momentum and a new topicality when Vienna and the institutions that sit there make the choice during a whole week to listen to what Morocco, strong of the spiritual and temporal leadership embodied by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, knows how to say and propose to others in the European area,” the Advisor of HM the King stressed, recalling that Morocco is the only country in the world whose Constitution mentions and writes in its preamble that the Moroccan Nation and People of today are the result of the contributions and the addition of civilizations that have taken root there, namely the Amazigh, Jewish and Arab-Muslim civilizations.
El Moutawakil then emphasized the vital role that women play in Moroccan society, through sports and politics, while sharing her personal commitment to initiatives carried by youth and its continued mobilization to raise always with honor and pride, the Moroccan experience internationally.
As for the MP Nadia Bouadia, she reaffirmed the unwavering and indivisible participation of the southern provinces in the enrichment of the Moroccan identity.
