Erdogan to receive honorary doctorate from Moroccan university

Muhammad V University in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, the country's oldest university, will confer an honorary degree to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his official visit to the country in June. The award, which will be presented to Erdogan in a ceremony scheduled on June 4, will be given "to draw attention to the significance of Turkey in the international arena under Erdogan's leadership, and in recognition of his historic stance on the Palestinian issue," said Abdurraheem Binhada, Dean of Humanities at the university. "Turkey is a prime example for other countries who strive for development," Binhada said. Recent Turkish investments in Morocco, as well as the Yunus Emre Institute, which functions within the university, help advance Turkish-Moroccan relations, he said. Binhada said Turkey favors and supports Moroccan territorial integrity in the Western Sahara issue, a long drawn out dispute between the Moroccan state and ethnic Sahrawi people who seek independence in the region. Furthermore, the two countries' policies are in agreement regarding the Syrian conflict, the dean said. Binhada added his university was intent on opening a graduate program titled "Ottoman studies" within the department by 2014.