Statement: Rabat Hosts the 3rd Ministerial Meeting of the Atlantic African States Process

Morocco is hosting the third ministerial meeting of the Atlantic African States Process (AASP) in Rabat on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, with the participation of 21 African countries bordering the Atlantic, including some 15 at ministerial level, with the aim of consolidating the political momentum of this innovative African partnership.

This initiative is the enshrinement of the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, aiming to make the Atlantic African space a zone of peace, stability and shared prosperity. This third edition follows two ministerial meetings held respectively in Rabat and New York in 2022.

The first ministerial meeting, held in Rabat on June 08, 2022, resulted in the Rabat Declaration I, which underlined the political commitment of Atlantic African countries to implement their partnership aimed at strengthening ties of cooperation and integration between African countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean, with a view to consolidating peace, stability and shared prosperity in the region.

The second edition of the ministerial meeting, which took place in New York on September 23, 2022, launched work on the Program of Action, which constitutes a roadmap to enable the member countries of this initiative to achieve their common objectives on three strategic priorities: political and security dialogue; blue economy, maritime connectivity and energy; and protection and conservation of the marine environment.

A meeting of senior officials of the Process was held on Tuesday July 11, 2023 to prepare for the Ministerial Meeting.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.