“Morocco has launched a series of initiatives under the leadership of His Majesty the King concerning various issues linked in particular to Atlantic Africa and the Sahel countries,” noted Mr. Bourita, noting that the Kingdom, a “responsible country, serious and listened to”, has shown that he is able to provide answers to questions linked in particular to immigration, climate change and sustainable development.
In a statement to the press on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, the minister indicated that the Kingdom favors action over words when it comes to proposing solutions to current problems and is putting its experiences and achievements available to the collective effort of the international community.
It is in this spirit that the participation, in this gathering of UN member states, of a high-level Moroccan delegation led by the head of government in accordance with High Royal Instructions, added the minister.
Referring to the international initiative of His Majesty the King to promote access of the Sahel States to the Atlantic Ocean, which was the subject of a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Mr. Bourita indicated that all the countries concerned reaffirmed their commitment and support for this initiative and underlined its relevance for finding solutions to the security, economic and humanitarian challenges in the region.
For these countries, the royal initiative approaches cooperation through the prism of action and reactivity instead of the logic of the crisis, he said, specifying that this accession gave rise to practical and concrete proposals. for the operationalization of this strategy.
In this same spirit of active solidarity is also the Royal Initiative for Atlantic African States. A similar meeting was held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly as part of the implementation of the Instructions of His Majesty the King relating to this initiative, the minister indicated.
Marked by the total support of the participants, this meeting made it possible to put in place action plans concerning the areas of security, peace, the blue economy, environmental protection in the Atlantic Ocean, he added, while recalling the royal vision for an integrated, inclusive and prosperous African Atlantic space.
In the same vein, Mr. Bourita mentioned the meeting of the member states of the Mano River Union, namely Côte d’Ivoire, the Republic of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, noting that this meeting was sanctioned by the signing of a road map intended to consolidate partnership relations in various areas.
Another illustration of Morocco’s commitment to supportive and effective South-South cooperation is the initiative relating to middle-income countries which, in turn, is the subject of a meeting on the sidelines of the major UN mass under the presidency of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad.
In this regard, Mr. Bourita indicated that Morocco, in line with the Royal Instructions, aspires to unite these countries to have the right to have a say in the decision-making process and so that their priorities are taken into account.
Regarding the Palestinian question, another priority of Moroccan diplomacy, the minister recalled Morocco’s position that His Majesty the King expressed in His last speech on the occasion of the Throne Day, calling in particular for a cease -immediate fire as a prelude to a political process leading to a definitive solution to the conflict in the Middle East.
Regarding the humanitarian crisis, he indicated that the killings perpetrated by Israel against children and women and the destruction of hospitals and schools are unacceptable and are constantly denounced by Morocco.
For the minister, this major UN event was also an opportunity to highlight the humanitarian support that HM the King, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, ordered to alleviate the suffering in the region, as well as the Sovereign’s efforts to promote conditions towards a two-state political solution, with the establishment of a Palestinian state with Al-Quds East as its capital.
In New York, the minister also held a series of bilateral meetings with officials from other African countries, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe as part of strengthening South-South cooperation and the diversification of partnerships.