His Excellency Mr. Hassan Abouyoub, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, accepted an invitation to take part in a series of events titled " Dialogues of Cultural Diplomacy: Debates with Ambassadors from the Levant," organized by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization (ISACCL) in partnership with the Romanian Diplomatic Institute (IDR), offering an overview of the long history that has shaped the Moroccan culture and civilization, which has been in continuous evolution for over two thousand years.
Moderated by dr Cătălin-Ștefan Popa, Director-general of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization, the discussions aimed to familiarize the audience, composed mainly of students and researchers from Romanian universities, with the history, culture, mentalities, and geostrategic realities of the Kingdom of Morocco, presented through the lens of the considerable experience of one of the most important and representative Moroccan personalities of recent history.
Fluent in Arabic, French, English, Italian, and Spanish, H.E. Hassan Abouyoub studied at the University of Lyon (1970-1975), specializing in Advanced Administrative and Financial Studies. Appointed Director of International Trade in 1980, His Excellency conceptualized and implemented a fundamental reform of Moroccan foreign trade policy, directing the process of Morocco's accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as well as negotiations between Morocco and the European Economic Community (the future European Union).
His Excellency served as Minister of Trade, Foreign Investment, and Tourism, participating in the organization of the International Ministerial Conference in Marrakech. A member of the Moroccan Parliament (1993), he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Development (1995-1997), implementing Morocco's commitments on agriculture under the Agreement signed with the World Trade Organization and negotiating a Fundamental Agreement on Fisheries between Morocco and the European Union, as well as the Euro-Mediterranean Framework Agreement ratifying free trade between the European Union and Morocco.
At the discussion hosted by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization, His Excellency Hassan Abouyoub highlighted Morocco's principal social, political, economic, and cultural characteristics in the modern era, contextualizing Moroccan identity within the geopolitical and diplomatic landscape of the 20th and 21st centuries.
There followed an extensive open discussion session with researchers and students participating in the event who were interested in the realities and prospects of Morocco.
Among the many topics discussed were the ways in which identity factors are constituted in North Africa; methods for local and regional conflict resolution, based on the proven experience of the Kingdom of Morocco; the reality of the bipolar world of the Cold War transforming into a multipolar world and the advantages of a balanced and equidistant international policy in this new context; the impact and effects of the "Arab Spring" on the Maghreb and on Morocco in particular; the (in)opportunity (and (im)possibility) of fashioning a so-called "pan-Arab" identity; the ongoing reality of the proliferation of supranational issues and challenges globally and their impact on the relevance of the concept of identity as it was patented and assumed centuries ago, at the end of the Thirty Years' War; but also the Moroccan perspective on the optimal ways to counteract or thwart the destabilizing factors represented by the rise of populism and extremism in an era of digital convergence and information overload.
At the end of the event, the moderator, dr Cătălin-Ștefan Popa, the Director-general of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization, thanked both the participants and His Excellency Hassan Abouyoub for the fruitful discussions held on this occasion, and extended an open invitation to all those present to join us at the next events organized as part of the "Debates with Ambassadors from the Levant" series, part of the "Cultural Diplomacy and the Challenges of the 21st Century" programme launched by the Levant Institute.
In the context of a region marked by considerable complexity and profound sociopolitical transformations, the Levant remains a strategic space for contemporary diplomacy, and the project "Cultural Diplomacy and the Challenges of the 21st Century," which aims not only to facilitate cultural exchanges but also to reaffirm Romania's role as a central actor in promoting peace, science, and understanding between civilizations, stands out as an important step toward revitalizing cultural and diplomatic dialogue in this region.
