Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, the Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, is leading a parallel diplomatic initiative from Cairo amid a regional landscape characterized by the growing influence of soft power. He held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with Egyptian officials on the sidelines of the first session of the Moroccan-Egyptian Coordination and Follow-up Committee. This move reflects a shared political will to rekindle the strategic partnership between Rabat and Cairo.
The meetings, which fall within the dynamic framework of bilateral relations nurtured by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, showed clear signs of both countries aiming to elevate cultural and youth cooperation from traditional coordination to a productive partnership with regional relevance.
On a cultural level, Bensaid’s meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Gihan Zaki, served as a pivotal point for reshaping cooperation priorities. They emphasized the transfer and exchange of expertise in safeguarding tangible and intangible heritage, a step that illustrates a mutual recognition of the importance of preserving cultural memory amid rapid transformations. A clear inclination emerged towards supporting joint cultural production, particularly in cinema and creative arts, which opens new opportunities for professionals and enhances the cultural presence of both nations on international stages.
In terms of youth, the meeting between Bensaid and Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, Jawhar Nabil, took on a practical dimension, focusing on the exchange of management models for youth centers and training programs, as well as strengthening youth diplomacy as a lever for connecting emerging generations. The Moroccan experience in economically empowering youth, particularly through support for emerging entrepreneurial initiatives, was highlighted, reflecting a desire to export a national model that has proven effective in addressing social and economic transformations.
Morocco’s initiative in Cairo cannot be separated from a broader context in which Rabat seeks to enhance its presence within the Arab and African spheres through culture and youth, viewed as strategic levers for building sustainable partnerships. Meanwhile, Cairo appears receptive to this approach as it strives to diversify its regional partnerships and reposition itself culturally.
