HM the King Takes Part in International Ceremony in Commemoration of Centenary of Armistice
PERSISMA, Paris – HM King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, took part, on Sunday in Paris, in the International Ceremony in Commemoration of the Centenary of Armistice dated Nov. 11, 1918.
The participation of the Sovereign in this ceremony, at the invitation of President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, testifies to the friendship that has existed between Morocco and France for several centuries and is a tribute to the valiant Moroccan soldiers who had fought for the ideals of freedom and peace during the First World War.
This ceremony was also marked by an artistic and memorial performance consisting of cellist Yo-Yo Ma playing Sarabande of Bach’s suite No. 5, the reading, by high school students, of international testimonies written on Armistice Day and a song of gratitude for the devotion of others, as well as the celebration of coexistence by Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo.
Emmanuel Macron delivered, afterwards, a speech in which he expressed the wish that “fraternity brings us the only worthy fight, the fight for peace and a better world”, while hailing the friendship between peoples.
In this context, he called on his peers to refuse the fascination for withdrawal, violence and domination, which would be a mistake for future generations.
The French president underlined: “all of us, on Nov. 11, 2018, must reaffirm before the peoples our responsibility to pass on to future generations the world that previous generations had dreamed of”, calling on his peers to ward off, together, the threats of global warming, poverty and ignorance.
The ceremony continued with the performance by the EU Youth Orchestra of musical piece “Boléro” by French composer Maurice Ravel, then the rekindling by the French President of the flame and the laying of a spray of flowers on the Tomb of the unknown soldier. This was followed by the performance of the Last Post and the observation of a minute’s silence, interrupted by the bugle ceasefire call.
Several Heads of State and Government, representatives of the European institutions, the United Nations and other international organizations have been invited to this ceremony, which will be followed by the Paris Peace Forum, aimed at reaffirming the importance of multilateralism and collective action to build the future of humanity in peace.
