“For His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, Atlantic Africa must not be seen as a periphery of the global world. Rather, it is a geostrategic heartland, a dynamic interface between continents, a cradle of innovation and resilience”, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita said on Thursday in Praia, Cape Verde.
Speaking at the 5th ministerial meeting of the Atlantic African States Process (AASP), Bourita stressed that “our responsibility is to transform this vision into a concrete, visible and tangible reality”.
In this context, he underlined that the Atlantic African Partnership is more than a strategic tool, as it is also a political, economic and human process. He noted that this partnership embodies the aspiration of an Africa that no longer endures the shifting tides of history, but instead confidently chooses its own path, guided by clarity and unity with.
On this occasion, Bourita reaffirmed Morocco’s unwavering commitment to advancing this momentum, to guarantee its continuity and to expand its reach.
Welcoming the keenness, coherence, steadfastness and collective determination of the AASP countries to put the Atlantic African space in a momentum of action, solidarity and co-prosperity, the Minister noted that “the Atlantic African space is no longer disregarded geographically. It is now a strategic, endogenous and accepted reality”.
It is “a reality driven by a shared conviction: that our future will be safer, more prosperous and more sustainable if we build it together”, he insisted.
Bourita then pointed out that the Royal Initiative has resulted in an unprecedented Afro-African partnership, embodying the essence of shared responsibility, adding that it has laid the foundations for a new cooperation paradigm – both pragmatic in its approach and ambitious in its aims, namely sustainable development, maritime security, environmental protection, and the fight against transnational threats.
“Today, Atlantic Africa is at an inflection point. It is scrutinized, courted, but also confronted with multiple, systemic and cross-cutting threats”, Bourita added. He urged African Atlantic States, at a time of setting geostrategic spaces in Europe, America and Asia, to make ‘an audible, credible and effective call’, by taking care to ‘strengthen our trans-regional anchoring, widen the spheres of cooperation and deepen our synergies’.
“This is not just a political ambition, but a necessity for sovereignty and development”, the Minister stated, adding that ‘it is embodied in the empirical approach we are pursuing together’. “The Forum of Ministers of Justice (April 2024), the meeting of Speakers of Parliaments (February 2025), and the Conference on Maritime Security and the Fight against Terrorism (January 2025), are all milestones that have broadened our scope of action and deepened the coherence of our approach“.
In keeping with this empirical structure, the Praia meeting is an opportunity for a clear assessment and strategic projection, the Minister underlined, noting that the implementation report confirms that this partnership is progressing well, identifying tangible actions and putting forward pertinent recommendations.
These recommendations include the organization of sectoral meetings, such as the Ministers of Justice meeting, which reflected the effectiveness of a multi-sectoral and decentralized approach; the establishment of national coordination mechanisms, which are essential for coordinating internal State actions with the regional dynamics of the Process; and the inclusion of aquaculture in action plans, as a strategic field at the crossroads of food security, employment and environmental sustainability, he explained.
Morocco fully commits to these recommendations and is ready to contribute actively, through the expertise of its institutions, the sharing of its experiences and the mobilization of its partners, Bourita affirmed.
The Minister concluded by calling on joint efforts to transform the African Atlantic into “a lever for unity, an engine for shared prosperity and a bulwark of stability”.
