The Atlantic Initiative, launched by King Mohammed VI, illustrates the depth of Morocco's commitment to strengthening South-South cooperation and intercontinental solidarity, particularly between Africa and Latin America, said Morocco's ambassador to Peru and Bolivia, Amin Chaoudri.
The Moroccan diplomat, who recently gave a conference in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz (900 km east of La Paz) to mark Africa Day, said that this Royal Initiative represents a “significant step forward in our Atlantic strategy, in which the future Port of Dakhla will play a crucial role”, adding that this port infrastructure is set to develop into “a major logistics and maritime trade hub for the region”, which will boost the region's economic development and help strengthen trade links with Europe, Africa and Latin America.
For Chaoudri, this Royal Initiative also symbolizes “the emergence of a new policy of solidarity aimed at promoting development and progress along the entire African Atlantic coast, including the Sahel geographical area”, recalling that this area encompasses landlocked countries facing major challenges, including terrorism, transnational crime, climate change and migration.
This innovative Moroccan approach, he added, “breaks with the old Western paradigm that linked development exclusively to security, a strategy that proved to be biased, since the emphasis today is on promoting security through development, marking an important step in Morocco's African policy”.
It is also a solidarity initiative that aims to “guarantee the right of access to the sea for the landlocked African countries of the Sahel, by offering them vital access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Kingdom's road, port and rail infrastructures”.
"As Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Bolivia, I am proud to bear witness to my country's commitment to this global vision, which promotes shared, mutually supportive and sustainable development. Our 3500 km Atlantic coastline positions Morocco as a natural leader in the promotion of the Atlantic as a center of economic integration", said Chaoudri, who gave a detailed historical overview of the relations linking Morocco and Africa through the ages.
The Moroccan ambassador referred in particular to the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline, “a mega-project that is set to stretch some 6,000 kilometers across eleven West African countries to reach the European Union in order to supply much-needed gas in these times of global crisis”.
