Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis Speaker calls for bolstering cooperation with Morocco

Speaker of the Mazhilis, lower house of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, Koshanov Yerlan Zhakanovic, called on Sunday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for bolstering cooperation between his country and Morocco.

This came at a meeting between Zhakanovic and the Speaker of the House of Councillors, Mohamed Ould Errachid, Saturday on the sidelines of the 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU), held in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tachkent.

Zhakanovic recalled the moves made in recent years to strengthen cooperation between Morocco and his country in the political, economic and human spheres.

He underscored the importance of capitalizing on the strategic positions of Morocco and Kazakhstan and their economic potential to boost the trade and economic momentum between the two countries. In this connection, he called for creating a logistical platform to bolster trade exchange between the two countries.

He also stressed the need to consolidate parliamentary cooperation between Morocco and Kazakhstan, in view of the role played by legislative institutions in promoting relations and rapprochement between countries and peoples.

For his part, Ould Errachid, who leads the Moroccan parliamentary delegation to the IPU Assembly, said this meeting reflects the desire to establish a “regular and lasting” parliamentary dialogue between the legislative institutions of the two countries to serve common causes and interests.

The meeting is also part of the distinguished bilateral relations between Morocco and Kazakhstan, “based on mutual respect, esteem and support on vital issues, notably the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.

The meeting also embodies the shared will of promoting these relations in different fields, he added, praising the results achieved during the visit Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan paid to Morocco last February. The visit was crowned by an ambitious and multidimensional roadmap meant to bolster bilateral relations.

The Speaker of the House of Councillors also emphasized the importance of South-South cooperation and win-win exchanges as complementary mechanisms for tackling the multidimensional challenges imposed by the international context.

In this regard, he called for trade between the two regions to be boosted, welcoming the bilateral agreement to set up a joint government commission and a Morocco-Kazakhstan business council, and to strengthen the logistical link between the two countries.

Morocco’s Top Senator also welcomed the willingness of the two countries to broaden their cooperation, strengthen trade and investment and increase the exchange of expertise in strategic sectors of interest to the Kingdom and Kazakhstan, notably those relating to technological innovation, energy transition, the environment, transport and logistics.

Ould Errachid called for greater coordination within international organizations, and for unified efforts on common issues and international initiatives to tackle global challenges such as food security, health, and climate change.

He also deemed it necessary to strengthen the cultural and civilizational bridges between the two countries, which share cultural ties, believing that the visa exemption between the two countries, which took effect in March 2025, will strengthen cultural and humanitarian exchanges and stimulate tourist flows to both countries.

The value of diplomatic parliamentary action lies in the exchange of visits and experiences in areas linked to parliamentary action, and in boosting the role of friendship groups as a platform for dialogue and joint coordination, said the Upper House Speaker.

The 3rd Parliamentary Conference on South-South Cooperation, scheduled for April 28 and 29 in Morocco, will be an opportunity to examine the prospects for developing Moroccan-Kazakh parliamentary relations, he added.

Ould Errachid also held talks with the Speaker of Milli Majlis, the Azerbaijani parliament, Sahiba Gafarova.

The two parties praised the excellent relations between Morocco and Azerbaijan, which have resulted in the signing of agreements in several fields and visa-free travel, which took effect on August 28, 2024.

The head of the Moroccan delegation also conferred with the First Vice President of the Cambodian Senate, Ouch Borith, on ways of developing parliamentary cooperation and strengthening the age-old ties of friendship between the two countries.