Foreign Ministers from the Atlantic African States Process hail Morocco’s timely intervention and supportForeign Ministers from the Atlantic African States Process (AASP) have lauded the Kingdom of Morocco’s consistent support and leadership in effectively advancing the initiative and strengthening this framework for dialogue and cooperation, with the Moroccan Foreign Minister stressing the need for collaboration across borders for full economic potential to be realized.In a statement on the sidelines of the 5th ministerial meeting of the AASP held in Cape Verde’s capital, Praia, the ministers noted that holding a ministerial meeting of the AASP aligns with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to transform the African Atlantic Space into a zone of peace, stability, and shared prosperity.
The Cape Verdean Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Regional Integration, José Filomeno de Carvalho Dias, highlighted Morocco’s unwavering support and the decisive role of the process’ permanent ruoksecretariat, based in Rabat, whose coordination has been essential to the progress of this initiative.His counterpart from Ghana, H.E. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, also praised the royal initiative as a suitable platform for strengthening cooperation among countries of the Atlantic Space as he called for intensified cooperation on security to address rising threats in the Atlantic area, including criminal and piracy activities.Gambia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Gambians Abroad, Mamadou Tangara, affirmed that the meeting illustrates Morocco’s leadership and proves that this process was inclusive and “belongs to all of us,” noting that the vision stems from the wisdom of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who has always advocated for the Atlantic Space to be “a space of solidarity, peace, and prosperity.”On her part, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of São Tomé and Príncipe, Ilza Maria dos Santos Amado Vaz, described the meeting as a very positive development and reaffirmed her country’s commitment to defining and implementing strategies based on political dialogue.
During the meeting, Moroccan Minister for Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, noted that Africa must rise and be a continent of innovation and resilience.“For His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, Atlantic Africa must not be seen as a periphery of the global world. Rather, it is a geostrategic heartland, a dynamic interface between continents, a cradle of innovation and resilience,” Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, said on Thursday in Praia, Cape Verde.He stressed that “our responsibility is to transform this vision into a concrete, visible, and tangible reality.”In this context, he underscored the importance of the Atlantic African Partnership, saying it is more than a strategic tool, as it is also a political, economic, and human process, noting that it embodies the aspiration of an Africa that no longer endures the shifting tides of history, but instead confidently chooses its own path, guided by clarity and unity.
Minister Bourita reaffirmed Morocco’s unwavering commitment to advancing this momentum, to guarantee its continuity, and to expand its reach.Welcoming the keenness, coherence, steadfastness, and collective determination of the AASP countries to put the Atlantic African Space in a momentum of action, solidarity, and co-prosperity, the Minister noted that “the Atlantic African Space is no longer disregarded geographically. It is now a strategic, endogenous, and accepted reality.”It is “a reality driven by a shared conviction: that our future will be safer, more prosperous, and more sustainable if we build it together,” he insisted.Mr. Bourita then pointed out that the Royal Initiative has resulted in an unprecedented Afro-African partnership, embodying the essence of shared responsibility, adding that it has laid the foundations for a new cooperation paradigm—both pragmatic in its approach and ambitious in its aims, namely sustainable development, maritime security, environmental protection, and the fight against transnational threats.“Today, Atlantic Africa is at an inflection point.
It is scrutinized, courted, but also confronted with multiple, systemic, and cross-cutting threats,” Bourita added.He urged African Atlantic States, at a time of setting geostrategic spaces in Europe, America, and Asia, to make an audible, credible, and effective call, by taking care to strengthen our trans-regional anchoring, widen the spheres of cooperation, and deepen our synergies.The minister added that this is not just a political ambition, but a necessity for sovereignty and development, and that “it is embodied in the empirical approach we are pursuing together.”He stressed that the Forum of Ministers of Justice held in April 2024, the meeting of Speakers of Parliaments held in February 2025, and the Conference on Maritime Security and the Fight against Terrorism held in January 2025 are all milestones that have broadened our scope of action and deepened the coherence of our approach.
In keeping with this empirical structure, the Praia meeting is an opportunity for a clear assessment and strategic projection, the Minister underlined, noting that the implementation report confirms that this partnership is progressing well, identifying tangible actions and putting forward pertinent recommendations.These recommendations include the organization of sectoral meetings, such as the Ministers of Justice meeting, which reflected the effectiveness of a multi-sectoral and decentralized approach; the establishment of national coordination mechanisms, which are essential for coordinating internal State actions with the regional dynamics of the Process; and the inclusion of aquaculture in action plans, as a strategic field at the crossroads of food security, employment, and environmental sustainability, he explained.
Morocco fully commits to these recommendations and is ready to contribute actively, through the expertise of its institutions, the sharing of its experiences, and the mobilization of its partners, Bourita affirmed.The Minister concluded by calling for joint efforts to transform the African Atlantic into “a lever for unity, an engine for shared prosperity, and a bulwark of stability.”
