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Washington hosted, on February 15th, the second meeting of the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, a new chapter in regional collaboration uniting 34 nations across four continents. Among them, Morocco stands out as a founding member and active participant, leading the marine spatial planning group alongside Spain and Angola, reads a statement by the US Department of State.
During said meeting, members agreed to host several workshops throughout 2024 on topics of mutual interest, including plastic pollution, food and nutritional security, and innovative financing mechanisms for the conservation and sustainable use of the Atlantic Ocean's marine resources.
Launched in September 2023, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation aims to usher in a new era of regional cooperation, forging closer ties between Atlantic nations across four continents. Its dual objectives are: to expand collaboration among Atlantic countries on shared goals and to champion a set of common principles for Atlantic cooperation. The World Bank estimates the Atlantic Ocean's contribution to the global economy at a staggering $1.5 trillion annually, predicting it will double by 2030.
Morocco and the African Atlantic space
Alongside the American initiative, Morocco pursues its own vision for structuring the African Atlantic space. King Mohammed VI, in his November 6, 2023 speech, emphasized this ambition: «Our wish is that the Atlantic coast becomes a high place of human communion, a pole of economic integration, and a center of continental and international influence». He further announced that «Morocco has taken the initiative to create an institutional framework bringing together the 23 Atlantic African States with a view to consolidating security, stability, and shared prosperity in the region».
Since then, Morocco's continental project has garnered international support, exemplified by the joint declaration issued on February 21st at the conclusion of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's visit to Rabat. The declaration states, «The President of the Spanish Government welcomed and expressed Spain's interest in the strategic initiatives launched by His Majesty the King, may God help him, in particular the Initiative of African countries bordering the Atlantic, the Royal initiative to promote access of the Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the African-Atlantic Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline».
For the record, the countries bordering the African Atlantic coast have convened three times at the ministerial level: in Rabat on June 8, 2022, in New York on September 23, 2022, coinciding with the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and again in Rabat on July 12, 2023.
Morocco hosted the inaugural meeting of Atlantic African countries in August 2009, with 22 African states participating. The gathering resulted in an action plan and the establishment of a permanent secretariat in Rabat. However, this ambitious project was ultimately unable to materialize due to an unfavorable international climate that hindered its launch.
The landscape has shifted since then. In January, Morocco offered its scientific vessel, the Al Hassane Al Marrakchi from the National Institute of Research and Fisheries, to Liberia for mapping their fish stocks and seabed. Ivory Coast and Guinea have also expressed interest in benefiting from Moroccan expertise in this sector. Notably, all three countries are members of the Atlantic Partnership, launched by the United States in September 2023.
