Rabat – At the Ministerial Meeting on the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation in New York, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita underscored the importance of King Mohammed VI’s Atlantic Initiative for the Sahel, which seeks to promote peace, stability, and shared prosperity across the African Atlantic region.
Launched in 2022 as part of the Rabat Process for Afro-Atlantic States, the initiative aims to empower African countries to take control of their own development paths.
Bourita highlighted that the Atlantic front is crucial to Africa’s future, with 23 countries along the coast representing 40% of the continent’s population and facilitating 70% of Africa’s trade.
The initiative not only targets the region’s rich potential in sectors such as tourism and mineral resources but also addresses significant challenges.
Bourita noted that terrorism, climate change, and the overexploitation of marine resources continue to threaten stability and prosperity in the region. These issues, he said, require coordinated efforts from both African and global partners.
Progress under the Rabat Process has been substantial. Bourita pointed to the establishment of a permanent Secretariat in Rabat, the adoption of a work program, and the creation of a Forum of Justice Ministers.
In the next ministerial meeting, action plans from three key thematic groups will be revised. These groups focus on critical areas including security, the blue economy, communication, energy, and climate change, laying out concrete steps to address these sectors’ needs.
The Afro-Atlantic initiative is also committed to fostering broader cooperation beyond Africa, creating a platform for stronger ties between the southern and northern Atlantic regions.
Bourita emphasized that this vision reflects Africa’s ambition for deeper collaboration within the Atlantic space, calling for dynamic partnerships that will contribute to a stable and resilient future.
In his speech, Bourita praised the United States for its leadership in bringing together Atlantic nations from various continents around shared goals. He reiterated that no single country or region can tackle the challenges of the Atlantic alone.
Morocco, he said, is proud to play an active role in this collaboration, having co-led the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Working Group alongside Angola and Spain. The group aims to enhance sustainable management of maritime resources and create frameworks for shared ocean governance.
“By coordinating our complementary initiatives, we will better serve the interests of the Atlantic community, advancing shared prosperity and stability,” Bourita noted, reinforcing Morocco’s commitment to building a strong, mutually beneficial partnership to achieve these common objectives.
