Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita held a coordination meeting on Friday in New York with his counterparts Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré from Burkina Faso, Abdoulaye Diop from Mali, Bakary Yaou Sangaré from Niger, and Abderaman Koulamallah from Chad. The meeting was part of the effort to operationalize King Mohammed VI’s initiative to facilitate access for Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean.
During the 79th United Nations General Assembly, the ministers welcomed the work of the National Task Forces from Morocco, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad during their first meeting held in Rabat last June. The Task Forces reviewed projects proposed by Morocco that align with the national development plans currently being implemented in each country.
The ministers expressed their satisfaction with the progress made in operationalizing the Atlantic Access Initiative and agreed to reconvene soon to further advance its implementation.
The monarch launched the Atlantic Access Initiative in his speech on November 6, 2023, commemorating the 48th anniversary of the Green March.