FOPREL lauds Royal Atlantic Initiative, promotion of Sahel Countries’ access to Atlantic Ocean

The Forum of Presidents of Legislative Powers of Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico (FOPREL) lauded on Wednesday in Rabat the Royal Atlantic Initiative launched by King Mohammed VI and his move to promote access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean.

Under the terms of a decision adopted unanimously following its 30th extraordinary session, hosted by the Moroccan parliament, FOPREL members commit to promoting the Royal initiatives on an international scale with a view to “overcoming the lack of major infrastructure and investment” in the African Atlantic Sahel.

The Forum noted that the Atlantic Initiative aims to establish a robust institutional framework bringing together 23 Atlantic African countries, “making Morocco’s Atlantic coastline a platform for strengthening maritime and air logistics connectivity between these states”.

The FOPREL members also stressed that the links to be forged under the Royal initiative are likely to facilitate the exchange of goods and the flow of investment in the countries of the South, and to bring wealth-generating production chains closer to sources of raw materials, particularly within the Arab-American geo-economic space.

Besides, they welcomed the initiative presented by Speaker of the House of Councillors Mohamed Ould Errachid to create a forum for parliamentary dialogue between Morocco, Central America and the Caribbean, during sessions to be held on an alternating basis between the two parties.

They called for this initiative to serve as “a basis for institutionalizing parliamentary relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and FOPREL, and establishing mechanisms for communication and coordination between the two parties”.

Furthermore, Forum members stressed the importance of bolstering FOPREL’s ties with the international community, while recognizing its strategic role in strengthening, updating, and harmonizing regulatory frameworks, given their importance in parliamentary diplomacy and political dialogue.

The Forum members also hailed the King’s pioneering role in promoting cooperation between countries of the South and in bolstering, in particular, cooperation and closeness between Morocco and Latin American countries, as well as between these countries and Africa.