SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE RECEIVING THE CREDENTIALS
FROM MR. MOHAMED LOUAFA, AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE OF THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO
NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 19, 2000
Excellency,
It
gives me great pleasure to accept your Credentials as the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the King of Morocco to India. Please
convey to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, on behalf of the Government and
the people of India, and on my own behalf, sincere thanks for his thoughtful
message and very kind sentiments expressed about India and our institutions.
We
are very happy to learn that His Majesty King Mohammed VI would be visiting
India early next year. We look forward to welcoming His Majesty to India.
It will be an important milestone in our bilateral relations and will
further enhance the quality of our interaction.
India
and Morocco are ancient countries with grand traditions of culture which
have been manifested in their own unique styles of architecture, music
and social systems. Both of us are proud to retain our historical traditions
and at the same time we have always remained open societies, ready to
welcome ideas and absorb them into our own ethos to enrich them. Both
our countries have woven these strands into one composite unit, thereby
creating a civil society fashioned on the bedrock of tolerance and religious
amity with an underlining constitutional guarantee of the right of all
people to practise and profess their particular faiths and beliefs.
The
world continues to be troubled by religious intolerance, ethnic strife
and terrorism. India has been facing threats to her secular and democratic
polity through externally sponsored terrorism. We are, however, confident
that the tradition of secularism and democracy, so deeply engrained in
our ethos will withstand this challenge. Both India and Morocco share
the same perceptions on terrorism and extremist violence perpetrated in
the name of religion and should join hands to counter this new menace
to the peace and stability of nations, as well as the world in general.
Today’s
world is substantially different from what emerged at the end of the Second
World War. Those fundamental changes, above all, the growth of democracy
and vibrant new economies in Asia, Africa and Latin America, must be appropriately
reflected in international institutions, in particular the United Nations.
Reform and restructuring of the UN is essential if it is to strengthen
its efficacy and effectiveness. Our two countries can work together to
build a consensus on the criteria and the methods of carrying this out.
We
have followed with admiration the role played by His Majesty King Mohammed
VI in the international arena to promote peace and mutual understanding.
Like Morocco, we have been following the developments in West Asia closely.
This region is close to us geographically as well historically; and amicable
settlement there would be in the interest of India too. We feel that dialogue
and peace are indispensable to achieve a solution. We in India appreciate
the moderating role played by Morocco in the region.
Neither
distance nor the differences in the physical size have come in the way
of the steady growth of our mutually beneficial cooperation in diverse
fields. We have shared a partnership in promoting the cause of global
peace and development and cooperated in diverse international fora towards
this objective.
It
is noteworthy that India is one of the most important markets for Moroccan
phosphate and phosphoric acid and one of the largest joint ventures set
up by an Indian company abroad is in Morocco. Both India and Morocco have
followed the path of economic liberalisation in recent years. It has opened
up fresh opportunities for the two countries to enhance our economic and
trade cooperation and it should be our endeavour to fully exploit this
potential.
Excellency,
I have vivid memories of my visit to Morocco in 1993, when I was Vice
President of India. I recall with gratitude and great pleasure, the warm
and affectionate welcome extended to me by the late Majesty King Hassan
II and His Majesty Mohammed VI who was then the Crown Prince of Morocco.
I cherish recollections of the friendship and warmth shown to me by the
Government and the people of Morocco.
Excellency,
you have been actively involved in the political and economic life of
your country for many years. With your rich experience, you will find
a fertile ground for all ideas for strengthening bilateral relations between
our two countries. In this task, I assure you the fullest cooperation
of my Government. I wish you all success and a rewarding stay in India.
Thank you
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