Mauritania has a central role to play in Morocco’s Atlantic initiative aiming to offer access to the ocean to landlocked Sahel countries and promote regional economic integration and shared development. Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita made the remarks at a joint press conference in Rabat with his guest Mauritania’s foreign minister Salem Ould Merzoug. King Mohammed VI had called, in a speech in November, for an international initiative to ease Sahel countries access to the Atlantic and global trade. Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad subscribed to the initiative at the highest level in view of its potential in unlocking the economies of the region. Bourita said Morocco backs Mauritania as a bacon of stability in the region and that the Kingdom looks forward to stronger ties.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 23, 2024 13:06 UTC