Rabat - Morocco’s King Mohammed VI delivered a speech on Thursday at the Third India-Africa Forum Summit, which is being held in New Delhi, India. The King called for developing an Afro-Indian partnership with mutually beneficial South-South cooperation to “turn the page” on the legacy of the past and serve both countries’ strategic interests.
Rabat – Morocco’s King Mohammed VI delivered a speech on Thursday at the Third India-Africa Forum Summit, which is being held in New Delhi, India.
The King called for developing an Afro-Indian partnership with mutually beneficial South-South cooperation to “turn the page” on the legacy of the past and serve both countries’ strategic interests.
The king also underlined the positive outcomes of the Indian experience with respect to its pioneering work in economic development, which has enabled it to become one of the emerging global powers.
On the so-called Western Sahara
The King emphasized that the positive results achieved by India’s economic model have led it to play a key role within UN agencies in charge of global peace and security by “undertaking balanced, responsible foreign policy based on respect for international legitimacy and for the territorial integrity of states.”
In this respect, the King expressed “Morocco’s appreciation for the Republic of India’s constructive position concerning the Moroccan Sahara issue and for supporting the UN process to resolve this artificial conflict.” He regretted, on the other hand, “that some countries have been unable to move forward; they continue repeating obsolete discourses and theses that date back more than 40 years.”
On the Afro-Indian Partnership
King Mohammed VI also stressed that the India-Africa Forum should serve as a “platform to lay down the foundations for an efficient, solidarity-based, multidimensional South-South cooperation model, through which we can make optimal use of the resources and potential available in our countries.”
As an example of this cooperation, the king cited the fruitful partnership between Morocco and India in the field of phosphates and their derivatives, which the two countries have sought to expand to include food security programs, putting their know-how at the disposal of some African countries.
The King also expressed Morocco’s willingness “to launch joint initiatives with India, within the framework of this Forum, in areas which are a priority for our peoples and in which our two countries have gained extensive expertise.”
King Calls Upon Africans to Invest in Africa
Mentioning his earlier speech in Abidjan, the King called upon the countries of the South to “trust themselves and to invest their assets and skills in the pursuit of shared progress for their peoples and thus catch up with emerging countries.”
The King underlined that “Africa does not need assistance as much as it needs mutually beneficial partnerships as well as human and social projects.”
The king underlined that security and stability are the bedrock of development and countries cannot achieve social progress nor undertake meaningful development initiatives without a stable and secure environment.
Edited by Elisabeth Myers
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