During talks with speaker of the House of Representatives (lower house), Habib El Malki, Moratinos praised the insightful vision of HM King Mohammed VI as well as the recent official visit of His Holiness Pope Francis and his meeting with the Sovereign, noting that Morocco has distinguished itself over the centuries through its tradition of religious tolerance and multiculturalism.

According to a statement by the House of Representatives, the former Spanish Foreign minister said that his visit to the lower house testifies to the important role of parliaments in upholding the values of the Alliance of Civilizations, which are reflected in the promotion of tolerance, openness and respect for others.

On this occasion, the UN official said that an international parliamentary forum will be held to raise awareness among the representatives of the peoples of the world of the importance of the principles and values of the Alliance of Civilizations, the fight against hate speech and the rejection of others, while highlighting the main aspects of the UN Alliance of Civilizations action program for the upcoming period.

For his part, El Malki lauded the commitment of parliaments to the United Nations efforts to consolidate the Alliance of Civilizations, stressing that the House of Representatives is ready to contribute to all initiatives aimed at promoting peace and understanding among peoples.

"The Kingdom, under the leadership of HM the King, is distinguished by cultural diversity and respect for all religions and Morocco is committed to the principles of peace, stability and dialogue on which the UN system is based," he underlined.

During the meeting, the two officials exchanged views on a number of issues related to the alliance of civilizations and discussed the role of dialogue and mediation in preventing wars and contributing to the spread of the culture of peace and the promotion of stability in the world.