Ambassador Mohammed Chraibi of Morocco in Seoul hosted a reception at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on July 30, 2015 to celebrate the Throne Day of Morocco. It was attended by many Korean and international dignitaries, including Deputy Minister Lee Tae-ho for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) from the Korean side and Ambassador Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla of Holy See (dean of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps) and many other heads of diplomatic missions in Korea.

Among the mission chiefs in attendance were Ambassadors Albino Malungo of Angola, Guadalupe Palomeque de Taboada of Bolivia, Dato Paduka Haji Modh Rosli Bin Haji Sabtu of Brunei Darussalam, Suth Dina of Cambodia, Tito Saul Pinilla Pinilla of Colombia, Sylvestre Kouassi Bile of Cote d'Ivoire, Grecia Fiodalicia Pichardo of Dominican Republic, Hany Moawad Selim Labib of Egypt, Rolf Mafael of Germany, Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla of Holy See, Mohamed Abdi Gello of Kenya, Dato Rohana binti Ramli of Malaysia, Zahid Nasrulah Khan of Pakistan, Bill Veri of Papua New Guinea, Omrie Michael Golley of Sierra Leone and Mumba Smyth Kapumpa of Zambia.
Speaking to the guests, Ambassador Chraibi said, “The King has spearheaded Himself in making efforts for upgrading the country into an innovative and cutting-edge nation, where the fundamental values of democracy, human rights, good governance and social development are cardinal hallmarks.” See the following excerpts from his speech:

Excerpts from the ambassador’s speech:
It is with great pleasure and delight that I welcome you to the celebration of the 16the Anniversary of the enthronement of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI. Thank you all for honoring us tonight with your presence.
Special thanks to Deputy Minister Lee Tae-ho, who is representing the Government of the Republic of Korea at this event tonight.
Minister Lee is the outgoing Ambassador of Korea to Morocco where he has spared no efforts to advance the bilateral relations and where he succeeded to leave a tremendous legacy of dedicated hard work. It is only fair that he was promoted upon his return as MOFA’s Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs and I wish him every success in the fulfillment of his new duties.
With pride, Moroccan citizens are not only commemorating an important Anniversary today, but also renewing the long-standing tradition of the act of allegiance, which is a binding contract between the King and the people.
Morocco’s Monarchy, which is constitutional, democratic, parliamentary and social, has always been, for more than 12 centuries now, the flagpole of the Nation’s building and progress through the times as well as the symbol of the National Unity.
At the helm of this Institution is a young and ambitious King who made the bold decision, since 1999, to place the human element at the center of His policies.
To this end, He has spearheaded Himself the efforts of upgrading the country into an innovative and cutting edge Nation, where the fundamental values of democracy, human rights, good governance and social development are cardinal hallmarks.
Under His leadership, the 2011 forward-looking Constitution, adopted by referendum, came to reinforce the stability of the political edifice and successfully introduced the Moroccan “Third Path” Model, characterizing the singularity of the Moroccan experience amidst the great turmoil affecting the region.
The last 16 years of the King’s reign gave birth to “new Morocco” and to an emerging, leading regional hub. On every level, Morocco has achieved irreversible progress thanks to the reforms conducted so far in the institutional, political and economic fields.
King’s actions are not exclusive to Morocco but also encompass Africa’s continuous wellbeing and development, which gives a genuine dimension to the South-South cooperation and to the spirit of solidarity with our African Brothers.
As the Ambassador of Morocco, it is my honor and pride to represent my country to another great country: the Republic of Korea. Since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1962, both Morocco and Korea have been dedicated to the development of their countries and to the wellbeing of their people.
Going through comparable experiences configured both countries to understand each other and to grow as traditional Partners and longstanding friends sharing mutual respect and esteem.
The fruitful Moroccan-Korean relations and cooperation are exemplary. They grew significantly throughout decades of rich interactions in various fields as politics, diplomacy, economy and culture. The legacy is satisfactory after 6 Joint Commission sessions, the creation of an Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group and the unprecedented number of visits made by officials and dignitaries.
The bilateral relations are continuously crowned by the signing of several crucial memoranda and agreements in key fields which undoubtedly prepare the ground for a genuine Strategic Partnership.
Another milestone was achieved last November, when the former Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Morocco, at the head of a Korean high level officials and business men delegation. This is the first highest level visit made by a Korean official since 1962 and had a special symbolic for the future of the bilateral relations which can only go upwards.
To live up to the honorable legacy of the bilateral relations as well as to the high expectations of the peoples, infusing a new breath to the already excellent bilateral relations, is today mandatory. Indeed, both countries enjoy tremendous cooperation opportunities in common vital areas such as infrastructures, ICTs, technical and scientific trainings, environment protection, water resources management, and energy.
On the people-to-people level, I am happy to see that more and more youngsters are interested in visiting Morocco and Korea and learning their languages, despite the very long-distance.
I cannot but seize this opportunity to commend the excellent work done by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in accompanying the development efforts of Morocco through funding sustainable development projects and providing technical assistance and training in various areas.
I wish every success and prosperity to the bilateral relations and long live Morocco and Korea!

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