Royal Initiative: Morocco chose to grant life to land-locked countries – Malian FM

Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop affirmed on Saturday in Marrakech that Mali is “strongly engaged” in King Mohammed VI’s international initiative to facilitate the access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, pointing out that granting water means granting life, and Morocco has chosen to grant the sea to non-coastal countries.

The remarks were made by Abdoulaye Diop during the first coordinating ministerial meeting on King Mohammed VI’s initiative to facilitate the access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, a project that will transform the economies of these countries and the entire region.

Diop stated “The initiative announced by the King on November 6th on the 48th anniversary of the Green March has captured the attention of the Malian government, which sees it as a manifestation of solidarity and effective brotherhood of the Kingdom of Morocco towards the sisterly African countries.”

He added that Mali is “strongly engaged” in the Atlantic Initiative and that Malian authorities “appreciate this brotherly and solidary-based initiative,” considering it as a commitment from the Kingdom of Morocco to integrate its actions beyond bilateral cooperation, within a broad framework aimed at addressing common aspirations, while responding to the needs of the authorities and peoples of the Sahel region.”

Mali’s top diplomat pointed out further that “choosing to celebrate the anniversary of the Green March, which holds special importance for the Kingdom of Morocco, to launch this initiative reflects the interest that Morocco grants to the development of Sahel countries by breaking their isolation.”

“Granting water means granting life, and Morocco has chosen to grant the sea to non-coastal countries. As for the country of Mali, which extends over an extensive area exceeding one million and 200 thousand square kilometers, surrounded by seven neighboring countries, this initiative represents an opportunity in many aspects.”

He explained that, first and foremost, the Royal Initiative breaks the isolation of the concerned countries, which “will enable dynamic exchanges between African countries or with the rest of the world, impact our economies, especially by providing opportunities to market our products, and participate more effectively in global trade, thus improving the trade balance for our countries.”

This initiative also opens up many prospects, especially in terms of “intermingling and integration of the countries involved through their populations.”

The first coordination meeting on the Royal Initiative, held at the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita, was attended by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, of Chad Mahamat Saleh Annadif, of Mali Abdoulaye Diop, and of Niger Kalla Yawo Sangaré.