Rabat- Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita has said that cooperation between Africa and Europe on migration cannot solely be a security matter.
“Migration is not a security issue; it is a question of human security,” said Bourita in his address at the opening of the Panafricaines Forum on Friday in Casablanca.
The forum attracted 88 representatives of African media.
Referring to Europe building migration reception centers in Africa, Bourita asserted that “good bad ideas” are dangerous.
“Migrant landing centers are unable to respond to circumstances of migration,” he said. He added that they are also against human rights and values.
Earlier this month, the government reaffirmed Morocco’s refusal to house reception centers for migrants to the EU.
In a recent interview with German news outlet Die Welt, Bourita repeated Morocco’s position against reception centers.
“Morocco is generally against all kinds of centers. It is part of our migration policy and it’s a position in the name of national sovereignty,” he said.
Bourita said that of the 3 percent of the world’s population that have migrated, 80 percent have done so legally. “We are talking about only 20 percent of this 3 percent.”
In his Friday address, Bourita reviewed Morocco’s policy on immigration and asylum. “This migration policy promotes the sustainable integration of migrants.”
The policy, according to Bourita, has regularized more than 50,000 irregular migrants through two campaigns. Ninety-five percent of those regularized were nationals of other African countries and 18,819 were women.
