Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, held bilateral talks with his French counterpart, Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, today at the headquarters of the French Ministry of Culture in Paris . This is the second meeting between the two ministers in less than a week, talks which herald a fertile field for bilateral cooperation.
As part of Bensaid’s working visit to France, this meeting made it possible to reaffirm the exceptional relations between Rabat and Paris and also highlighted the positive dynamic between the two countries at the level of bilateral relations.
Indeed, Morocco and France discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the cultural field, complementing the discussions started last Saturday in Cannes, where it was agreed to establish a joint road map for work and bilateral cooperation in the cultural field.
Bensaid and Dati also raised the issue of protecting intangible cultural heritage against theft and looting. In this regard, Bensaid explained to his French counterpart that “ Morocco suffers from this phenomenon and strives to combat it by all means, which requires joint efforts in this area “.
Intensify efforts and joint coordination
Morocco and France have agreed to intensify their efforts and joint coordination at the level of international organizations, notably UNESCO and the World Intellectual Property Organization, in order to counter this phenomenon which harms the cultural heritage of the countries.
Furthermore, the culture ministers of the two countries discussed a number of files and subjects of common interest, notably cooperation in the field of archeology and artificial intelligence in the cultural field.
Distinguished Moroccan presence at UNESCO
At UNESCO, the Kingdom was honored as guest of honor during an official ceremony attended by the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mehdi Bensaid, the ambassador, delegate Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Samir Addahre, the Moroccan Ambassador to Paris, Samira Sitail, as well as several ministers, representatives of UNESCO Member States and diplomats.
Before the official opening this week, the delegations represented at UNESCO and the guests of this event were warmly welcomed to the sound of the rhythms of the Moroccan dakka and were able to visit the Moroccan pavilion, which embodies the richness and diversity of Moroccan culture and the ancestral know-how of Moroccan artisans.
Education and culture, pillars of African development
In his speech for the occasion, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, guest of honor at this event, welcomed the organization of UNESCO African Week to commemorate diversity and the wealth of the continent, while highlighting the challenges to be met, particularly in terms of education.
In this sense, Bensaid indicated that “ in a world today threatened by a demographic winter and widespread aging, Africa is the last continent to benefit from a vitality that is not only digital but also creative, dynamic and optimistic ”, reiterating that “ African youth, if properly mobilized through education and cultural development, will allow our countries to benefit from the demographic dividend of the coming decades. It will be the starting point of our shared and pluralistic recovery: an economic, cultural, social and community recovery. “.
