Rabat – Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita spotlighted King Mohammed VI’s Atlantic Initiative for the Sahel during a ministerial gathering in New York on Monday.
Chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the meeting focused on fostering cooperation across the Atlantic region and included ministers from both African and Atlantic nations.
Launched in 2022 as part of the Rabat Process of Atlantic African States, Morocco’s initiative is designed to strengthen peace, stability, and development in the African Atlantic region.
Bourita emphasized the importance of empowering African nations to drive their own development, noting the significance of the region’s 23 coastal countries, which house 70% of the population and account for 40% of intra-African trade.
Bourita underscored the potential of this area, rich in key sectors such as tourism and mineral resources. However, the region faces numerous challenges, including terrorism, climate change, maritime insecurity, and overfishing, which require coordinated regional efforts.
The Atlantic Initiative has already made tangible progress. A Secretariat has been established in Rabat, and a comprehensive Action Program has been adopted to address these challenges.
Additionally, a Forum of Ministers of Justice was created to facilitate legal cooperation across the region. Upcoming ministerial meetings will further develop action plans on security, the blue economy, climate change, and energy, reflecting the diverse needs of the region.
Bourita highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in tackling shared challenges, stressing that the Atlantic African States Process is a reflection of Africa’s vision for Atlantic partnerships.
The initiative is committed to fostering collaboration with other international efforts to ensure the long-term stability and prosperity of the Atlantic.
Morocco’s commitment to the initiative includes co-leading, alongside Angola and Spain, the Working Group on Marine Spatial Planning, which addresses critical issues related to maritime resources and sustainability.
Bourita also commended the United States for its efforts to unite Atlantic nations around shared objectives.
As the meeting concluded, Bourita emphasized that the challenges facing the Atlantic cannot be addressed by any single country or continent alone, underscoring the need for continued, collective action to secure a prosperous future for the entire Atlantic community.
