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Rabat – The Ministerial Coordination Meeting on King Mohammed VI’s Initiative to Enhance Atlantic Ocean Access for Sahel Countries kicked off in Marrakech on Saturday, with the participation of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad.
The meeting was attended by Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, his Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop, Niger’s Bakary Yaou Sangare, Burkina Faso’s Karamoko Jean Marie Traore, and Chad’s Abakar Kourma.
It focused on the Royal Initiative calling for regional and international cooperation to promote the access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, as announced by King Mohammed VI earlier this year.
The program aims to explore solutions for integration and economic transformation in the Sahel countries, in order to improve the quality of life for their populations.
Speaking at the meeting, Bourita said the initiative has “the potential to be a strategic turning point for our countries.”
The top Moroccan diplomat cited several reasons for the project’s significance, including “the tradition of cooperation, mutual aid, and solidarity” between Morocco and the Sahel countries.
“Where many see problems, His Majesty the King sees opportunities. Where some speak of despair, His Majesty the King detects potential and where some opt for easy solutions, His Majesty the King recommends fundamental treatments to develop real solutions,” he said.
Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita at the ministerial meeting.
King Mohammed VI announced the initiative during his speech for the 48th Anniversary of the Green March. In his speech, the Moroccan monarch stressed that the problems facing the countries of the Sahel “will not be solved by security and military measures alone, but rather by an approach based on cooperation and shared development.”
He concluded: “I therefore suggest that we launch an international initiative to enable the Sahel countries to have access to the Atlantic Ocean.”
The program is part of Morocco’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with other African countries to enable prosperity on the continent.
“Morocco is willing to put its road, port and rail infrastructure at the disposal of these sister countries, since we believe that such an initiative will bring about a fundamental transformation not only in the economies of these countries, but also in the entire region,” the monarch noted.
As part of this Pan-African endeavor, the Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development has launched several humanitarian programs and missions on the continent, including the Mohammed VI Prenatal Clinic in Bamako, Mali.
Bourita welcomed structural reforms introduced last year to advance economic development and preserve peace in the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD).
