Niger’s President sends message to King Mohammed VI

General Abdourrahman Tiani, President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, Head of State of Niger has sent a message to King Mohammed VI.

The message was handed over by Niger’s PM Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine to Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch at a meeting in Rabat on Wednesday.

The contents of the message were not disclosed.

The Nigerien Prime Minister’s visit to Rabat at the head of a high-level delegation takes place after Niger announced its participation in King Mohammed VI’s initiative to connect the Sahel countries with the Atlantic Ocean. The visit is meant to establish a strategic partnership with the Kingdom, a rapprochement that has Algeria wary.

According to the Niamey government, the delegation, led by the Prime Minister, who is also Minister of Economy and Finance, includes the Minister of State in charge of National Defense, Salifu Modi, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakary Yaw Sangari, which confirms the importance of the visit at the diplomatic, economic, and military levels.

Moroccan researcher in security and strategic studies, Mohamed Al-Tayyar, commented in a statement to Al-Arab that the visit of Niger’s prime minister demonstrates Morocco’s exceptional role in building stability and security in the Sahel region, as well as Rabat’s position on events in Niger, “a rational stance based on a sober and far-sighted reading, given the reality of the political and security developments taking place in the region.”

Al-Tayyar also explained that the Kingdom’s position proved that “it is a trustworthy partner and its decisions are well established and characterized by continuity, stability and credibility.”

The Atlantic Initiative has been warmly welcomed by Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger, the Atlantic being a key economic and political point of access.