Morocco, Malta push for greater economic, political integration of Mediterranean region

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and the Maltese Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Ian Borg, called in Rabat on Monday for greater economic and political integration of the Mediterranean region.

At a press briefing following their talks, Bourita and Borg stressed the importance of understanding the Euro-Mediterranean basin as an area of opportunities that offers solutions to many of the challenges facing countries in the region, particularly in vital sectors such as energy, which has been severely impacted by the Ukrainian crisis.

The Mediterranean should be seen as an area of opportunity, not risk, said Mr. Bourita, emphasizing that this requires “courage, vision and conviction” of all the possibilities that this region can offer.

“The Mediterranean must not be perceived solely as a simple geographical space, but must be apprehended as a geopolitical concept”, he said, noting that the Mediterranean basin continues to have “geopolitical relevance” and has a major role to play on today’s global geopolitical scene.

Deploring the fact that the Euro-Mediterranean framework is “losing momentum”, Bourita warned that some people want to turn the Mediterranean into a border.

In this respect, the Minister called for “new compromises” between the South and the North, far removed from constraints, pressures and provocations. These compromises must be based on mutual respect and a shared vision, with the aim of exploiting all the opportunities offered by the region.

“The Mediterranean area must not be governed by electoral logic or the vision of certain political parties with extremist tendencies, but with a responsible vision, because it is our past, our present and our future”, he insisted.

For his part, Mr. Borg noted that despite the serious challenges facing the Mediterranean basin, including the energy crisis and inflation, the region remains endowed with opportunities and solutions.

“We just need to sit down together and agree on how to positively exploit these opportunities”, he said, calling for investment in the opportunities offered by North Africa, especially in clean energy, a field in which Morocco is a “pioneering and innovative country”.

Borg also stressed the importance of “better connectivity” between the populations and businesses of Mediterranean countries, with a view to strengthening relations between the various countries of the mare nostrum.

On the sidelines of these talks, the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic Studies and Malta’s Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two parties in the fields of research and training, exchanges of documents, studies and expertise.