Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, Mali Abdoulaye Diop, Niger Bakary Yaou Sangaré, and Chad Abderaman Koulamallah welcomed the progress made in the operationalization of the International Initiative launched in 2023 by King Mohammed VI to promote access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean.
This came in a joint communiqué released at the end of a coordination meeting on the operationalization of the royal initiative, held on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly, that was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the four Sahel countries and their Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita.
The meeting provided an opportunity to agree on the necessary next steps, mainly to leverage the human and financial resources required for the various phases of implementation of the initiative, said the joint communiqué, adding that the Sahel states welcomed the concrete projects proposed by Morocco as part of the Royal Initiative, which are “in line with the national development plans currently being implemented in each of the countries.”
The participating Sahel officials also commended the work done by the National Task Forces of Morocco, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad during their 1st meeting held in Rabat on June 5-6, 2024.
The ministers welcomed the project proposals selected by the National Task Forces as part of the operationalization of this International Initiative, the joint communiqué said.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger highlighted the steps undertaken within the framework of the Confederation of Sahel States. In line with the guidelines of the President of the Confederation, they underlined that the adhesion, involvement, and support of their countries to the operationalization of the Royal Initiative will henceforth be carried out within the framework of the said Confederation.
King Mohammed VI launched the initiative to promote access for the Sahel States to the Atlantic Ocean during the speech he delivered on November 6, 2023, on the celebration of the 48th anniversary of the Green March.