Morocco’s admission to ECOWAS is still making headlines in Nigeria. MPs at the Nigerian House of Representatives have raised their concerns regarding the Kingdom’s bid to be part of the regional organization. On the other hand, on Wednesday, a Moroccan-Nigerian Parliamentary Friendship Group held its inaugural meeting in Abuja to discuss mutual agreements and economic projects between the two nations. Details.
Last March, the President of the ECOWAS Commission played the role of a doomsayer, saying that Morocco’s bid to join the regional organization would be a step backward in the history of the organization. This Tuesday in Rabat, Marcel De Souza completely changed his opinion to the point that he even announced that the Kingdom’s admission to the Economic Community of West African States will be formalized on December the 16th in Lome, Togo at the next summit.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, said in an interview conducted by «Jeune Afrique», a Magazine based in Paris, that the diplomatic relations between Morocco and Algeria may be at all-time low. For him the exchange of visits between officials from the two countries has been stalled for years.
The Israel-African summit scheduled for October is indeed going to be attended by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite the efforts made by Palestine, Morocco and South Africa to derail the event, both Togo and Israel are keen to hold their first diplomatic gathering.
According to Jerusalem Post, Morocco and the Palestinian authorities are pressuring Togo into canceling an Africa-Israel summit scheduled for October in Lomé, the Togolese capital.
Morocco’s bid to join the ECOWAS is still yet to be studied after it was accepted in principle by the regional organization. However, Nigerian lobby groups are trying to force their government to reject the request according to Bloomberg.
Morocco did not leave the ECOWAS summit empty-handed as the union decided to invite King Mohammed VI to their next meeting to give its approval to Morocco’s integration. In the absence of the sovereign, the Israeli Prime Minister was the big attraction of the reunion in Monrovia.