Rabat (MAP), October 18, 2024.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI chaired, Friday at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a Council of Ministers, devoted to the examination of the general orientations of the draft Finance Bill for 2025 and the approval of draft decrees relating to the military field, as well as several international agreements, according to statement from the Royal Palace’s Spokesperson.
His Majesty the King also made a series of appointments in senior positions, including 13 new ambassadors.
According to the press release from the spokesperson of the Royal Palace, “on the proposal of the Head of Government, and on the initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, His Majesty the King appointed a number of ambassadors of the Sovereign to several brotherly and friendly countries”, including African countries.
These are Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, as well as the Republic of Niger.
This move is part of a strategy of renewed and strengthened diplomatic governance, aimed at strengthening Morocco’s presence and influence on the continent, a central pillar of Moroccan foreign policy under the leadership of His Majesty the King.
The other appointments concern four in Europe (European Union, Denmark, Serbia and Bulgaria), a strategic continent for Morocco’s economic and political exchanges, and three in Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh), in addition to one in the Caribbean (Saint Lucia), thus marking the Kingdom’s commitment to diversifying its partners.
This appointment constitutes a substantial diplomatic movement that reflects a proactive Royal Will in the face of the contemporary challenges that Morocco faces, in particular in defense of its strategic and supreme interests.
This diplomatic initiative comes in a national context marked by the Royal Speech of October 11 before Parliament, in which His Majesty the King gave a New Impetus and Strategic Orientations to diplomatic action, emphasizing the mobilization of all instruments of Moroccan diplomacy (institutional, partisan or parliamentary) in order to strengthen the position of the Kingdom in the face of global geopolitical challenges.
Regarding the profiles of the appointed Ambassadors, this movement is distinguished by the injection of “new blood”, with 11 new diplomats accessing this high office for the first time. In addition, 2/3 of the appointed ambassadors are the result of internal promotion, thus reflecting the Royal approach based on meritocracy. These are 2 central directors, 4 Consuls General, 2 Deputy Heads of Missions and 1 Head of Division.
The movement also marks a strengthening of the feminization of the Moroccan diplomatic apparatus. Nearly ¼ of the positions concerned are allocated to female Ambassadors, bringing the total number of female Ambassadors of His Majesty the King to 21, or nearly ¼. This total covers the positions of Ambassadors in Europe, 40% of which are occupied by women. Similarly, the number of female Ambassadors in Africa has been increased.
This approach reflects the Royal desire to modernize and energize the diplomatic apparatus, by bringing innovative perspectives and new energy to the representation of the Kingdom abroad.