The US State Department and the Moroccan Embassy in Washington jointly organized a briefing on the latest developments in the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, attended by ambassadors and representatives from the 39 member countries of this initiative.
During the meeting, held at the Kingdom’s Chancellery, Morocco’s Ambassador to the USA, Youssef Amrani, highlighted Morocco’s active role in promoting a stable, prosperous and inclusive Atlantic space, capable of fostering the socio-economic transformation of the entire region.
In this context, the diplomat placed particular emphasis on the Royal Initiative, which places the Atlantic at the heart of King Mohammed VI’s bold and innovative vision for the African continent, based on the principles of solidarity, cooperation and co-development.
Referring to the structuring projects within the framework of this Initiative, the ambassador specified that these concrete actions aim to create an economic corridor linking Atlantic Africa to the northern and western hemispheres, in addition to promoting access to this maritime space for the countries of the Sahel.
With regard to the importance of ensuring complementarity between the various initiatives aimed at building an enlarged Atlantic area, Youssef Amrani emphasized that it is in this spirit that the Kingdom actively participates in the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation and co-chairs, with Spain and Angola, a working group on Marine Spatial Planning.
For Morocco, the Atlantic is a priority geostrategic zone, a vector for peace and sustainable development, which our joint efforts will help to establish as a dynamic space that cannot be ignored on the international scene,” the ambassador concluded.
For her part, the American Coordinator for Atlantic Cooperation, Jessica Lapenn, began by thanking the Kingdom for its leadership and commitment to promoting the Atlantic area.
Welcoming the opportunity for exchange offered by this first face-to-face briefing for the diplomatic corps accredited in Washington, Jessica Lapenn spoke of the shared values that foster the emergence of a common Atlantic identity.
The American diplomat called on member countries to work closely together to overcome “the similar challenges we face and seize the opportunities for integrated development that can ensure the sustainability of the Atlantic Ocean’s resources for generations to come”.
The Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation was launched on September 18, 2023 by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations, as a multilateral forum heralding a new era in regional cooperation.
Since its launch, several high-level meetings have been held, including the adoption of the Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation and its Action Plan.
In his address to the nation on the 48th anniversary of the Green March, King Mohammed VI stated that “to resolve the difficulties and problems facing the sister states of the Sahel, the solution cannot be exclusively security or military, but must be based on an approach of cooperation and joint development”.
To promote access to the Atlantic Ocean for the Sahel states, “We propose the launch of an international initiative”, the King stressed.
The Sovereign also made it clear that for such a proposal to succeed, it is essential to upgrade the infrastructures of the Sahel states and connect them to the transport and communications networks in their regional environment.
The Royal Initiative opens the way for landlocked Sahelian countries to gain access to the Kingdom’s road and port infrastructures, and Morocco, the King assured, “is ready to make its road, port and rail infrastructures available to support this initiative”.
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