At the Awaza Forum in Turkmenistan, Moroccan parliamentary diplomacy showcased King Mohammed VI’s Atlantic Initiative as a regional integration tool for landlocked Sahel countries.
Held this week on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the Awaza tourist zone, the parliamentary forum brought together delegates from across Africa and Eurasia. The Moroccan delegation presented King Mohammed VI’s strategic vision to provide Sahelian states with maritime access via Morocco’s Atlantic ports—an initiative widely praised by African and Eurasian representatives.
Framed as a “royal project” with strong geoeconomic potential, the initiative is built on three pillars: the development of sustainable infrastructure, the creation of fair partnerships, and the emergence of genuine regional solidarity. Its overarching goal is to integrate Sahelian economies into global trade by ensuring stable and secure access to the Atlantic Ocean.
In its address, the Moroccan delegation emphasised the critical role that parliamentary institutions can play in building solid legal frameworks, ensuring equitable resource distribution, and exercising democratic oversight of cooperation mechanisms. “Parliamentary diplomacy is key to building a future grounded in mutual responsibility,” the delegation stressed, calling for a break from the predatory or dependency-based logics that still plague many international relations.
The Moroccan proposal received strong backing from representatives of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the African Union (AU), and other regional organisations. They hailed it as a concrete contribution to economic justice and intercontinental cohesion. The initiative reflects Morocco’s growing reputation for economic diplomacy based on strategic partnerships and a shared vision of development.
MK/ac/sf/lb/as/APA