The royal distinction was presented to Mrs. Bolaños Pérez by the Ambassador of Morocco to Spain, Karima Benyaich during a ceremony organized on Monday at the residence of the Kingdom, in the presence of several ambassadors accredited to Madrid and personalities from the world of culture.
In a speech on this occasion, Ms. Benyaich stressed that this royal decoration is a recognition of the distinguished action accomplished by Ms. Bolaños Pérez, throughout her diplomatic mission in Rabat, and a testimony of her continued effort to further strengthen the cooperative relations between the two friendly peoples, and consolidate the economic, social, cultural and human development between Morocco and Guatemala.
The Moroccan Ambassador to Spain praised the commitment and passion of Ms. Bolaños Pérez to make relations between Morocco and Guatemala a model of cooperation and understanding.
Ms. Benyaich also highlighted the constant efforts of Ms. Bolaños Pérez, a “great diplomat, a professional expert in multilateralism and a tireless defender of relations between Morocco and Guatemala”, in favor of strengthening, understanding and friendship between the two peoples, as well as its sincere support for the fundamental causes of Morocco, recalling that this ceremony coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Guatemala.
The Moroccan diplomat took this opportunity to underline the distinguished career of Mrs. Bolaños Pérez who held several positions both at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guatemala and at the Permanent Mission of her country to the United Nations in New York and to international organizations in Geneva.
Morocco and Guatemala enjoy a distinguished relationship based on mutual respect and cooperation which continues to this day, a relationship marked by a fluid exchange of visits by senior officials between the two countries and a desire to further strengthen the ties of friendship between Morocco and Guatemala since 1971, noted Ms. Benyaich, recalling the agreements concluded between the two countries encompassing the political, academic, consular and cooperation fields.
For his part, the former Ambassador of Guatemala to Morocco expressed his deep gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI, who kindly awarded him this distinction, as well as his pride in receiving this prestigious royal decoration, during this ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In this regard, Ms. Bolaños Pérez, who currently holds the post of Guatemalan Ambassador to Spain, affirmed having worked during her diplomatic mission in Morocco to support and strengthen the ties between the two countries, paying particular attention to the development of cultural and human relations and the strengthening of cooperation and partnership mechanisms in many economic, commercial and social sectors.
The Guatemalan diplomat stressed, with regard to the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, that her country has supported and continues to support the Kingdom’s efforts in the search for a just, lasting and acceptable political solution to resolve this conflict, noting that for the Republic of Guatemala, the autonomy proposal presented by Morocco since 2007 constitutes a realistic, serious and credible basis for reaching a negotiated solution within the framework of respect for the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Kingdom.
Ms. Bolaños Pérez also praised Morocco’s successful and distinguished management of the health crisis linked to Covid-19, stressing that thanks to the foresight and leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, the Kingdom was able to successfully manage this pandemic, thus becoming an example for the rest of the world.
After highlighting the achievements and achievements of the Kingdom in various political, economic and social fields, the Guatemalan diplomat noted that Morocco is a “reliable partner and friend”.
She also highlighted the rich and varied cultural and civilizational heritage of Morocco, which has made the Kingdom, she said, “a crossroads of African, Arab and Mediterranean cultures and civilizations”.