Mali ‘Strongly Engaged’ in HM the King’s Atlantic Initiative for Sahel States – Malian FM –

Mali is “strongly engaged” in the Atlantic Initiative announced by HM King Mohammed VI for Sahel States, Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdoulaye Diop, said Saturday in Marrakech.    “His Majesty the King’s Initiative, announced in His Speech of November 6 on the 48th anniversary of the Green March, aroused the interest of the Malian government which considers it an expression of the kingdom’s active solidarity and brotherhood towards brotherly African countries”, Diop underlined during the Ministerial Coordination Meeting on HM the King’s Initiative to Enhance Atlantic Ocean Access for Sahel Countries.    Malian authorities “appreciate this brotherly and solidary-based initiative, considering it the commitment of the Kingdom of Morocco to further integrate its action, beyond bilateral cooperation, into a now broader framework of an approach aimed at meeting the common aspirations of the authorities and the peoples of the Sahel,” he said.    The head of Malian diplomacy also noted that “the choice of celebrating Green March anniversary, which is of particular importance for the Kingdom, to launch such an initiative, illustrates the attention given by Morocco to the development of Sahel countries, through their opening up”.    “Offering water is offering life. Morocco has chosen to offer sea to landlocked States. For a State like Mali, which covers an area of 1,200,000 km2 and is surrounded by seven neighboring States, this offer represents an opportunity in many ways,” he said.    First of all, he explained, the opening up of the countries concerned “will boost intra-African trade and with the rest of the world, which will have an impact on our economies, in particular by allowing better sale of our products, to better participate in global trade and thus to improve the trade balance of our States”.    He also underlined that this initiative offers numerous perspectives, particularly in terms of “reinforced integration of the countries concerned through our populations”.    Initiated by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, this meeting is also attended by Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Burkinabe abroad, Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, Niger’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Nigeriens Abroad, Bakary Yaou Sangaré, and Director General of Africa and African Integration at the Chadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chadians Abroad and International Cooperation, Abakar Kourma.    HM the King’s international Initiative to Enhance Atlantic Ocean Access for Sahel Countries is part of the continued efforts made by the Kingdom of Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, for a prosperous Africa.    HM the King’s international Initiative to Enhance Atlantic Ocean Access for Sahel Countries is part of the continued efforts made by the Kingdom of Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, for a prosperous Africa.