Damascus, (SANA) – Moroccan people will celebrate on Friday the National Day and the 11th anniversary of Moroccan King Mohammed VI's ascendance to the throne on July 30, 1999.

In a statement to SANA, Moroccan Ambassador in Damascus Mohamed Lakhssassi said Syrian-Moroccan relations have been consolidated since 1957 when Morocco gained its independence, and later when it joined the Arab League and restored its relations with the Arab countries.

"Morocco has always supported Syria's right to full restoration of the occupied Golan, and has always stood by the Palestinian people to liberate their land," he added.

Lakhssassi described the Syrian-Moroccan political relations as excellent and strong, adding that President Bashar al-Assad's visit to Morocco in 2001 and King Mohammed VI's visit to Damascus in 2002 helped consolidate those relations.

The two countries established the Syrian-Moroccan Higher Committee which has set up the framework for bilateral cooperation in the various fields of economy, trade and culture, he said.

He also pointed to the two leaderships' efforts to boost bilateral relations through benefiting from the economic and political prosperity in Syria and Morocco, as both countries adopt similar economic development process tending toward an open economy and supporting partnership between private and public sectors to create the appropriate environment for foreign investments.

The two countries signed 19 agreements, protocols and memos of understanding in various fields, increasing the number of agreements signed since 1957 up to 55.

The first session of the Syrian-Moroccan Higher Committee in Damascus 2001 laid the foundation for comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

The two countries have signed a number of agreements in the field of cultural and academic exchange. There is a twining initiative between Damascus and Rabat due to be signed later, in addition to a cooperation project between al-Assad National Library and the National Library of Morocco.

R.Raslan /M.Eyon