Bethesda, Maryland, USA, 07/18/2016 /SubmitPressRelease123/
On the occasion of the 27th Summit of the African Union (AU), Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Sunday, July 17, 2016, sent a message to Chadian President and current Chairman of the African Union (AU), Idriss Deby Itno.
In his message, the king expressed his readiness to see Morocco work within the AU again to transcend divisions and to be at the forefront of actions to preserve the dignity of African citizens and ensure respect for the continent.
For recall, Morocco withdrew from the Organization of African Unity (OUA), the AU’s precursor, in 1984 in protest over the admission to the organization of the so-called Sahrawi Arab Democratic ‘’(SADR).
‘’The time has come to reject manipulations and funding for separatist movements and to stop sustaining timeworn conflicts in Africa in order to concentrate on one course of action, that of promoting human and sustainable development, combating poverty and malnutrition, ensuring healthcare for our people, providing education for our children and raising the living standards for everyone,’’ said the king.
‘’My country has forged a unique, authentic and tangible South-South cooperation model which has made it possible not only to consolidate cooperation in the traditional areas of training and technical assistance but also to engage in new, strategic sectors such as food security and infrastructure development,’’ explained the sovereign.
‘’My country is already the second largest investor in the Continent, and our ambition is to be ranked first,’’ added the king.
The monarch recalled that ‘’Morocco holds membership in two of the eight Regional Economic Communities of the African Union, namely the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD). ‘’
The king noted that ‘’Morocco has observer status in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and looks forward to a promising partnership with the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). In 2009, Morocco launched the Ministerial Conference of African States Bordering the Atlantic.’’
The monarch also pointed out that “the Kingdom of Morocco has continued to launch initiatives to promote stability and security. These include active involvement in peacekeeping operations in Côte d’Ivoire, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Central African Republic, in mediation efforts in the MANO River region, and more recently in Libya, as well as in post-conflict reconstruction in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau .”
The king went on by saying ‘’Our friends have long been asking us to return among them so that Morocco may take its natural place within its institutional family. That time has now come. By returning to the African family, Morocco aims to keep up its commitment to Africa and strengthen its involvement in all matters it feels strongly about.’’
‘’Morocco, which will host the COP22 Climate Conference next November, will defend the position of our Continent, which is greatly affected by climate change and sustainable development issues,’’ concluded the king in his message.
http://www.mapnews.ma/en/activites-royales/full-text-royal-message-27th-african-union-summit
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