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<\/p>\nThe co-president of the Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation and advisor to H.M. the King of Morocco, Andr\u00e9 Azoulay, today received the Andalusian Medal for Solidarity and Concord, an award with which the Andalusian Government has recognised his defence of dialogue between civilisations, cultures, peoples, women and men on both sides of the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
With this award, Andr\u00e9 Azoulay joins the select group of foreigners who have been distinguished at this ceremony by the Andalusian Regional Government, which on very few occasions has looked beyond our borders to present its medals. This was the case with the Senegalese Amadou Mahtar M'bow, Director-General of UNESCO (1987); the French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf (1994); the Irish researcher and Hispanist Ian Gibson (1998); the French Christine Ruiz-Picasso, named Favourite Daughter of Andalusia in 2003; and the Portuguese writer Jos\u00e9 Saramago (2007).<\/p>\n
Andr\u00e9 Azoulay, born in the Moroccan city of Essaouira in 1941, has joined this small group of prize-winners, who, in addition to their foreign origin, have in common their links with Andalusia. In this respect, Andr\u00e9 Azoulay played a leading role in the creation and constitution of the Seville-based Fundaci\u00f3n Tres Culturas del Mediterr\u00e1neo, an institution of which he was appointed co-president at its inception 20 years ago. He continues to hold this position today, offering his support, encouragement, visions and advice, which have made a significant contribution to improving and strengthening relations between Morocco and Andalusia.<\/p>\n
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Since then, Andr\u00e9 Azoulay has been a true guarantor of coexistence between the two territories. For two decades he has been an indisputable pillar of this Andalusian-Moroccan tandem, present at meetings at the highest level between leaders from both sides of the Strait, a task that has not only remained unperturbed over the years, but has intensified.<\/p>\n
In this sense, the award winner himself pointed out that \"Andalusia has a very special attraction for all of us who live in this Mediterranean environment. Because of its culture, its history, its heritage, because in this land we knew how to live together Jews, Christians and Muslims. But not only because of this historical legacy; also because Andalusia is very aware that all the peoples of this area have common challenges that we have to face together\".<\/p>\n
\"And it is this history of understanding and this vocation for dialogue that makes this Spanish region an exceptional place to work for a Mediterranean with a future of coexistence based on respect and tolerance. That is why the Kingdom of Morocco and the Junta de Andaluc\u00eda decided at the time to create the Three Cultures Foundation: to face these common challenges based on shared values of freedom and responsibility. Andalusia and Morocco have much to contribute to each other, in all areas, in order to continue advancing and progressing from an economic, social and cultural point of view\", he added.<\/p>\n
Regarding the award of this Medal, Andr\u00e9 Azoulay has not concealed his deep satisfaction. \"I wish to express on my own behalf and on behalf of the Moroccan people the immense honour of receiving the Andalusia Medal of Solidarity and Concord from the Andalusian Government. Andalusia and Morocco are today, in the eyes of the world, an example of fruitful cooperation and harmony between brotherly peoples, founded on a common cultural basis,\" he said.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n A lifetime dedicated to understanding between peoples<\/b><\/p>\n Andr\u00e9 Azoulay was born in 1941 in Essaouira (Morocco). Already in his own origins (Moroccan, Jewish, Berber and Arab), he implicitly carried the values of interculturalism, which he has since striven to cultivate with the best of European and Islamic influences. He was trained as a journalist in France and was the founder and managing editor of the newspaper Maroc-Informations<\/em>. Between 1967 and 1991 he held various positions within the Paribas financial group and, since 1991, he has been advisor for economic and financial affairs to the King of Morocco.<\/p>\n A prominent personality in the world of finance, the aspect in which he has, however, stood out most over the years is his fervent advocacy of dialogue between civilisations, cultures, peoples, women and men on both sides of the Mediterranean. A founder and member of numerous institutions involved in the Middle East peace process over the past three decades, Andr\u00e9 Azoulay has been involved in various movements and associations aimed at helping the process of reconciliation between Jews and Muslims.<\/p>\n He played a leading role in the creation of the Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation, being appointed co-president from its inception, a position he still holds today together with the Minister of the Presidency, Public Administration and Interior of the Andalusian Regional Government, El\u00edas Bendodo. His role and his international recognition have been crucial in making the Three Cultures Foundation an irreplaceable instrument which, from the heart of Andalusia, makes its valuable contribution to those who work for the defence of freedom, interculturalism and dialogue between peoples, keeping alive the spirit of this land where everyone has a place, and where different cultures and traditions can coexist in peace.<\/p>\n An example of these good relations of cultural cooperation between Andalusia and Morocco is the Festival of Atlantic Andalusias, which has been held since 2003 in the port city of Essaouira, birthplace of Andr\u00e9 Azoulay. The Junta de Andaluc\u00eda, through the Fundaci\u00f3n Tres Culturas del Mediterr\u00e1neo, promotes the holding of this festival which, for the last 16 years, has welcomed musicians from different parts of the Mediterranean who highlight the Judeo-Arabic heritage in their music and the connection between Andalusian music and modern flamenco. The Festival of Atlantic Andalusias is also a meeting place where intellectuals, artists, politicians and representatives of civil society discuss the different cultures, their identity and transmission in debate forums led by Andr\u00e9 Azoulay, highlighting the common roots of Mediterranean music and turning Essaouira into the cultural embassy of Andalusia in Morocco.<\/p>\n He has also been President of the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation, member of the Committee of the Wise for the UN Alliance of Civilisations, Advisor to the Shimon Peres Centre for Peace and founding member of the C-100, the Davos Forum committee dedicated to the Dialogue of Civilisations and Religions. In addition to the awards he has received throughout his intense career, he has also received the 2014 Prize for Tolerance awarded each year by the European Academy of Sciences.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" El copresidente de la Fundaci\u00f3n Tres Culturas del Mediterr\u00e1neo y consejero de S.M. el Rey de Marruecos, Andr\u00e9 Azoulay, ha recibido hoy la Medalla de Andaluc\u00eda a la Solidaridad y […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":66672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-otros"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tresculturas.org\/f3c\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/thumbnail_PHOTO-2020-02-28-15-11-55-1024x684.jpg\")
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