In Bali, Morocco welcomed Indonesia’s position as an influential power, committed to supporting the stability, national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all the countries on the African continent. The Kingdom of Morocco reaffirms its commitment to South-South cooperation.
“In accordance with the High Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Kingdom of Morocco is ready to put its experience to good use to strengthen the partnership with Indonesia and friendly African countries, within the framework of South-South and trilateral cooperation,” said Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Resident Abroad, on Monday in Bali.
Speaking at the opening of the second edition of the Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF), Mr. Bourita, who represents King Mohammed VI of Morocco, said that the IAF was an opportunity for the two countries to exchange views on a number of issues.
Bourita, who is representing King Mohammed VI at this event, said that this cooperation could cover, in particular, the implementation of the Royal Initiative to promote access to the Atlantic Ocean for the countries of the Sahel, aimed at making the Kingdom’s roads, ports and rail networks available to the landlocked Sahelian states, and the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project, which is an essential lever for stimulating integrated regional growth in the Atlantic zone.
The minister added that the cooperation may also be of interest in the field of food security, the development and modernisation of African agriculture, particularly in the current geostrategic context, as well as investment in the health sector and health sovereignty, given its close link with the economic and social development of the continent’s countries.
On this occasion, the Moroccan minister noted that the IAF is an exemplary model of South-South cooperation, capable of meeting the challenges facing both parties by going beyond traditional approaches to cooperation and adopting new, inclusive, innovative and integrated formulas.
In this respect, he expressed his wish to make this forum a real crucible for coordinating fruitful and constructive cooperation, by boosting Indonesian investment in Africa and establishing bilateral and trilateral partnerships in promising and vital sectors such as infrastructure, industry, technology, renewable energy, tourism and artificial intelligence, in order to stimulate development and create more job opportunities on the continent.
The minister also mentioned the creation of a regular economic forum, with the participation of the private sector, and cooperation to meet global challenges, in particular water scarcity, which represents a serious threat to progress, economic and social development, as well as the security and stability of countries, recalling the recent speech by King Mohammed VI in which he stressed ‘the importance of managing water resources and redoubling efforts and vigilance, devising innovative solutions, and subordinating management models to the rules of good governance’.
With regard to the theme of this Forum, “The spirit of the Bandung Conference for Africa’s Agenda 2063,” Mr. Bourita said that it was deeply inspired by this conference, a major event that marked the dialogue on peace and the strengthening of economic and cultural cooperation between African and Asian countries.
MN/Sf/ac/fss/GIK/APA