Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, on Wednesday received a message addressed to King Mohammed VI from the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to diplomatic sources.
The message was delivered in Rabat on 24 June by the Deputy Minister to the Minister of State, Congolese Foreign Affairs Minister in charge of Francophonie and the Congolese diaspora, Crispin Mbadu Phanzu, during a meeting with the Moroccan foreign minister. The official content of the message from Félix Tshisekedi to King Mohammed VI was not publicly disclosed by official sources.
In a statement to the press following the meeting, Mbadu Phanzu highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between Morocco and the DRC, which he noted are deeply rooted in a long-standing history of cooperation. He added that his visit to the Kingdom is directly aimed at promoting his country’s candidacy for the position of Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
For her part, Juliana Amato Lumumba, who is accompanying the delegation as the DRC’s official candidate for the post of OIF Secretary-General, emphasised the enduring strength of solidarity and friendship ties connecting the two nations. She also recalled that her father, the late Patrice Lumumba, had historically been decorated by the late King Mohammed V. She further praised the strong alignment of views between Morocco and the DRC on issues of solidarity, unity, inclusivity, and sovereignty, ultimately calling for a Francophonie that operates of the peoples, with the peoples, and for the peoples.