The 50th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Yaoundé highly appreciated His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s Atlantic Initiative to enhance access for Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean.
In this regard, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Nigeriens Abroad, Bakary Yaou Sangare, who participated in this meeting yesterday, Thursday, confirmed that this “royal initiative represents a win-win approach and a good example of South-South cooperation.”
The Niger Foreign Minister said, “There is no better solidarity than this, and we highly appreciate this unparalleled initiative,” considering that the major difficulty facing Sahel countries is the problem of infrastructure and access to the sea.
He continued in this regard that this “good initiative,” which aims to facilitate these countries’ access to the sea and harness all Moroccan infrastructure including roads and airports, will allow Sahel countries’ products to reach international markets.
The Nigerien official confirmed that Morocco is an important country for Niger and the Sahel Alliance in general, noting that this initiative will also enable diversification of supply ports for the region’s countries.
After highlighting the fruitful cooperation between Morocco and Niger, Mr. Sangare confirmed that the Kingdom is a strategic partner, especially in economic, banking, security, and religious fields.
For his part, the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdoulaye Diop, considered the royal initiative to enhance access to the Atlantic Ocean an opportunity that was welcomed and appreciated by Sahel countries.
Mr. Diop explained, in a statement to Maghreb Arab Press Agency, that this initiative represents an opportunity to establish infrastructure and means of communication that allow landlocked Sahel countries to connect with global trade.
The Malian official added, “Technical work is being carried out, and we hope that this infrastructure to be established will benefit all the region’s inhabitants, enhance trade between Morocco and our countries, and enable our countries to access Europe and other international markets.”
In a similar statement, the Gambian Foreign Minister, Mamadou Tangara, considered that this royal initiative will contribute to enhancing prosperity in the Sahel region, noting that “without prosperity, there can be no stability or peace.”
On the other hand, Mr. Tangara praised the exemplary cooperation between Morocco and Gambia, expressing his gratitude to His Majesty the King, on behalf of the Gambian President and people, for the great support Morocco provided to ensure the success of the 15th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, held last May in Banjul.
It should be noted that the work of the 50th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation began yesterday, Thursday, in Yaoundé, with the participation of the Kingdom of Morocco.
The agenda of this session, organized under the theme “Developing Transport and Communications Infrastructure within the OIC: A Key Tool in Combating Poverty and Insecurity,” includes, in particular, the discussion of political, economic, and social issues, as well as the challenges currently facing the Islamic world.
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