NATO’s coherence depends on enhanced political dialogue with Southern partners, Moroccan diplomat says

The coherence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization also depends on the south, wherefrom the need to strengthen and enhance the political dialogue between NATO and its Southern partners, said Morocco’s ambassador to Washington Youssef Amrani.

The Moroccan diplomat made the remarks during his participation in a “NATO Public Forum” held on the sidelines of the Washington Summit celebrating the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in a panel entitled “NATO Looks South: Strategic Perspective and Partnership relations.”

A strong and coherent political dialogue is crucial to promote mutual understanding and establish practical cooperation based on trust, Amrani insisted, pointing out that this requirement is all the more clear in view of the emergence of new security challenges that call more than ever for an integrated and global approach.

Amrani advocated “more constructive, open and regular discussions with the South in order to establish more assertive dynamics in interaction with partners on the Mediterranean side,” an approach he deems “necessary to perfect” to fully meet the ambitions and priorities of the Mediterranean dialogue partner countries while seizing the multiple existing opportunities.

The Atlantic constitutes a strong vector for boosting international cooperation with all partners, he underlined, in particular thanks to “the vision of the Kingdom which reconfigures the African Atlantic space in a transversal way, bringing major changes in the geopolitical realities of the region,” he argued.

In this connection, the diplomat shed light on the Atlantic Vision of King Mohammed VI, presenting the eminently humanist, pragmatic and united essence of this approach which governs Moroccan commitments in the region to build a corridor of shared development and prosperity.

“Peace and security are prerequisites for development and progress”, underlined the ambassador, adding “that it is not a question of dissociating human objectives from their security basis.” “It is necessary to maintain a holistic approach which enriches all the national, regional and international commitments which abound in the Atlantic area.”

This approach of complementarity and coordination of international efforts is at the heart of Morocco’s which connects the aspirations of African citizens with strategies focused on integration, sharing and solidarity, Youssef Amrani pointed out, adding that this widely shared appreciation echoes the call launched to further promote partnership with the South, particularly within the framework of the Mediterranean dialogue.

In his address, the Moroccan diplomat also highlighted the history of the partnership between Morocco and NATO, stressing that “since the launch of the Mediterranean Dialogue, the Kingdom has always strived, as a pioneer, to build a collaboration mutually beneficial with the Alliance, to jointly respond to cross-cutting issues and shared threats.

“This relationship is in line with the principles of collective and indivisible security, which are fundamental to responding to current security challenges,” he underlined.

The panel was attended by NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, Javier Colomina, and former Secretary of State for Defense of Portugal and President of the group of NATO’s reflection on its southern neighborhood, Ana Santos Pinto.