On Saturday, October 3, the Moroccan Embassy in Saint Lucia hosted a diplomatic and social reception at the ambassador’s residence in Cap Estate to engage local social partners and celebrate the milestone.
The event was hosted under the auspices of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Saint Lucia, whose chancery is based in Gros Islet/Rodney Bay and is led by Ambassador H.E. Younes Dirhoussi.
The gathering served a dual purpose—bringing together Saint Lucian social partners, government representatives, and members of civil society to strengthen bilateral dialogue, while formally commemorating the Ambassador’s 60th birthday.
Bilateral Cooperation: Such engagements reflect ongoing collaboration between Saint Lucia and Morocco in areas including higher education scholarships, technical assistance, agriculture, and South-South diplomatic cooperation.
Speaking to THE VOICE, Ambassador Younes Dirhoussi reflected on the two states’ bilateral relationship, dating back to 1988.
Ambassador Younes Dirhoussi was appointed Ambassador to Saint Lucia by the King of Morocco in April 2025. The ambassador states he is pleased and excited to assume his ambassadorial role.
While the Embassy of Morocco is based in Saint Lucia, it also serves as a hub for other Caribbean states, mainly the OECS countries, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, accommodating a total of 10 countries.
Other than his diplomatic career and his first official ambassadorial role in the region, Ambassador Dirhoussi has undergone a stint as Consul General in France. He expressed profound pride in being “the Ambassador to Saint Lucia … we share many values, and especially the South-South cooperation with other Caribbean countries.”
He recalled that since establishing diplomatic relations in 1988, “Saint Lucia and Morocco have always shared excellent relations, either politically speaking or in terms of cooperation.”
The ambassador asserted, “We are proud to say that Morocco is one of the …Diplomatic Pillars in this South-South initiative.”
The ambassador highlighted Morocco’s role in assisting in the fields of education – providing at least 20 scholarships per year to Saint Lucian students and other regional islands, as well as “sharing expertise or providing fertilizer, and several other fields.”
Ambassador Dirhoussi went on to say, “We have a road map of cooperation (established) two years ago, and we are trying to implement all the cooperation actions, and the embassy does its best to facilitate these interventions.”
Commenting on the stature of Morocco, he stated that the late King His Majesty Hassan II defined the state “ as a country where the roots are in Africa and the leaves in Europe – meaning that our history comes from Africa and we are looking to modernity, which is in Europe. So, it’s a mixture between authenticity and modernity.”
He added, “Morocco is an open country …very tolerant, where many origins live together in harmony; it’s like a mosaic of different populations, and fortunately we are all united under one flag, and what makes Morocco strong is the unity within the Kingdom; we have a King that is the symbol of unity in Morocco.”
The King serves as the ‘Head of the State’, while the political and state affairs are run independently by an Executive Head of Government ruling over a parliamentary diplomatic body.
Moving along, Ambassador Dirhoussi anticipates wider, strengthened social and diplomatic relations with Saint Lucia, with plans to implement more social and infrastructural programs.