Moroccan King: Education, Culture Key Components of EU-AU Partnership

Moroccan King Mohammed VI (MAP)
Moroccan King Mohammed VI (MAP)
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Moroccan King: Education, Culture Key Components of EU-AU Partnership

Moroccan King Mohammed VI (MAP)
Moroccan King Mohammed VI (MAP)

Moroccan King Mohammed VI said that guaranteeing education and promoting culture are among key components of the partnership between the African Union and the European Union.

Others include accelerating the pace of vocational training, employing the youth and putting migration and mobility in order.

The common denominator between them all is the youths, in whom the two continents should invest to ensure they reach their maximum potentials.

His remarks were made in a speech read out by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita at the sixth EU-AU Summit, held on Feb. 17-18 in Brussels.

“These future-oriented objectives should inspire and inform our approach to the AU-EU partnership,” he stressed.

King Mohammed asserted that neither Africa nor Europe could achieve these goals on their own, noting that they share a common responsibility in this regard.

He said 94% of the world students could not have access to education during the pandemic due to school closures.

“We need to ensure the continuity of education, taking into account the new context of digital transformation in the education sector.”

This requirement is particularly crucial in Africa, he stressed, noting that 50% of its population is under the age of 20.

“Our schools, universities, and vocational training institutions need, just like our respective economies, a robust recovery to make up for the 1.8 trillion hours of no schooling,” Bourita read.

King Mohammed further pointed out that the pandemic has not spared the culture either, economically and access wise.

He underlined the importance of re-establishing cultural cooperation mechanisms to revive the sector, which is considered vital for bringing people together in Africa, Europe and between the two continents.

Commenting on the migration issue, the King said that the pandemic has shown that in terms of mobility, migrants do not have a harmful effect on the economy.

“On the contrary, they have a positive impact in their host country - where they are often essential workers - as well as in their country of origin.”

He called for approaching this issue not as a challenge but rather a major source of opportunities.



Syrian Government Denies its Forces Preparing to Redeploy to Sweida

FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
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Syrian Government Denies its Forces Preparing to Redeploy to Sweida

FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo

Syria's interior ministry spokesperson said on Friday that government forces were not preparing to deploy to Sweida Province, the state news agency reported.

Noureddin al-Baba denied a Reuters report citing an interior ministry media officer as saying security forces were preparing to redeploy to Druze-majority Sweida city to quell fighting involving Bedouin tribes and the Druze.

A fragile truce was holding in Syria's south on Friday after a ceasefire announced on Wednesday briefly ended days of fighting that began when Bedouin and Druze fighters clashed in Sweida province in southern Syria, prompting the Syrian government to send in troops.

Syrian troops withdrew from Sweida after the truce was announced but clashes resumed late on Thursday.

Israel's military carried out new attacks in Sweida province overnight.

Israel has said it would not allow Syria's government to deploy troops to the south.