His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, stated that the organization of the Mauritanian Diaspora Forum reflects a strong national commitment to bringing relations between the State and its citizens residing abroad to a more structured and effective level, based on ongoing consultation, the protection of rights, improved access to services, the mobilization of expertise, and expanded opportunities for participation in national development.<\/p>\n
In his address delivered at the opening of the first edition of the Mauritanian Diaspora Forum on Friday in Nouakchott, His Excellency the President of the Republic expressed his appreciation to members of the diaspora communities who had travelled to attend the event. He described their presence as evidence of their deep attachment to their homeland and their determination to contribute to its development and enhance its standing internationally.<\/p>\n
The full text of His Excellency the President of the Republic’s address is as follows:<\/p>\n
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. May prayers and peace be upon the noblest of Prophets and Messengers.<\/p>\n
Mr. Prime Minister,<\/p>\n
Mr. Speaker of the National Assembly,<\/p>\n
Mr. President of the Constitutional Council,<\/p>\n
Mr. Head of the Institution of the Democratic Opposition,<\/p>\n
Members of the Government,<\/p>\n
Members of Parliament,<\/p>\n
Representatives of brotherly and friendly countries,<\/p>\n
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps,<\/p>\n
Mr. Wali (Governor),<\/p>\n
Madam President of the Regional Council,<\/p>\n
Mr. Hakem (Prefect),<\/p>\n
Mr. Mayor,<\/p>\n
Representatives of our diaspora communities and our national professionals and experts residing abroad,<\/p>\n
Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n
May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.<\/p>\n
I warmly welcome you all to this gathering, which reflects the enduring strength of the bond between the homeland and its children, regardless of the distances that separate them, the countries in which they reside, or the diversity of their backgrounds and experiences.<\/p>\n
I would particularly like to extend a warm welcome to our sons and daughters who, despite the distance and the challenges of travel, have made the effort to attend this gathering, thereby demonstrating the depth of their attachment to their homeland and their sincere desire to contribute to its development, enhance its standing and help shape its future.<\/p>\n
The organization of this first edition of the Mauritanian Diaspora Forum reflects a strong national commitment to bringing relations between the State and its citizens residing abroad to a new, more structured and effective level, founded on ongoing consultation, the protection of rights, improved access to services, the mobilization of expertise and expanded opportunities for participation in national development.<\/p>\n
Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n
Migration is a natural phenomenon which, throughout history, has contributed, through the diversity of its individual and collective motivations, to enriching societies and civilizations and advancing human activity. It has served as a bridge for the transfer of knowledge and experience, the exchange of mutual benefits, and a renewed source of economic and social dynamism.<\/p>\n
Mauritania owes a great deal to its migrants, including scholars and intellectuals who have proudly upheld the flag of their homeland and helped project a distinguished image of our country, enhancing its standing and strengthening its civilizational influence, while remaining faithful to their homeland.<\/p>\n
One of the most striking demonstrations of migrants’ loyalty to their homeland was the support you, the sons and daughters of our diaspora communities abroad, extended to your country during the COVID-19 crisis.<\/p>\n
Your remarkable and deeply appreciated mobilization in support of your country, drawing on your expertise and networks, provided living proof that the bond uniting you with your homeland is stronger than distance and adversity.<\/p>\n
While residing abroad does not deprive citizens of their rights or relieve the State of its responsibilities towards them, it does not absolve expatriates of their duties towards their homeland. Nor does it exempt them from participating consciously and responsibly in addressing its concerns and supporting its development efforts, while safeguarding its reputation and cultural and civilizational standing, wherever they may reside.<\/p>\n
To enable them to fulfil this role, protect their rights and safeguard their interests, I made the concerns of Mauritanians residing abroad one of our foremost priorities from the very beginning of my tenure as President of the Republic. Accordingly, I instructed government departments to take a series of urgent measures to address the everyday challenges faced by our citizens living abroad.<\/p>\n
These measures included restructuring the department responsible for foreign affairs, with greater attention to its responsibilities concerning Mauritanians Abroad; amending the Nationality Code to permit dual nationality in accordance with applicable legal provisions; and strengthening the political participation of diaspora communities through the direct election of their representatives to the National Assembly.<\/p>\n
I also instructed the relevant departments to modernize and digitize consular services. This initiative led, in particular, to the development of the “Houwiyeti” application, which has helped overcome or alleviate many of the difficulties faced by our diaspora communities in obtaining civil status documents. It has thus represented a significant qualitative improvement in terms of transparency, speed and efficiency.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, despite all these efforts, we remain convinced that developing comprehensive and sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our migrants requires a participatory approach that enables all stakeholders to contribute, through consultation, dialogue and the exchange of views, to shaping the programs and public policies that concern them, as well as those relating to the homeland as a whole.<\/p>\n
It was on the basis of this conviction that we instructed the organization of this Forum and took the necessary measures to ensure its thorough preparation and its successful holding under the best possible conditions, with all due diligence. The determination to adhere strictly to these directives may well have contributed, to a considerable extent, to the delay in holding this gathering.<\/p>\n
My dear sons and daughters, members of our cherished diaspora communities,<\/p>\n
We are proud of you all and expect you to be a force for nation-building, an engine of progress and a bulwark protecting the country’s unity and the cohesion of its people against campaigns of disparagement and rhetoric that promote division and discord.<\/p>\n
We call upon you to continue representing Mauritania with dignity, safeguarding its reputation and contributing actively to its advancement.<\/p>\n
We also invite the businesspeople and investors among you to seize the opportunities offered by our economy, contribute to job creation and technology transfer, and support local development.<\/p>\n
We further call upon all professionals and experts to contribute to the development of our national institutions and the advancement of scientific research and innovation.<\/p>\n
Above all, we invite you to make every effort to ensure that the proceedings of this Forum lead to an objective assessment of the cultural, social and economic challenges facing diaspora communities, while identifying ways and means of overcoming them.<\/p>\n
We also encourage you to put forward proposals that could improve your living conditions abroad and strengthen your ties with your homeland, particularly through the establishment of new mechanisms to promote and safeguard your investments in the country, as well as facilitate your financial transfers and commercial transactions with Mauritania.<\/p>\n
We have instructed the relevant departments to take all necessary measures to follow up on the recommendations arising from this Forum and give them the attention and priority they deserve.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate my warm welcome to you all and express my gratitude to the countries that have shared their national experiences with us, as well as to the international organizations that have contributed to organizing this gathering.<\/p>\n
With the blessings of Allah, I hereby declare open the first edition of the Mauritanian Diaspora Forum and wish its proceedings every success.<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n
May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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