Latest news with #RabatDeclaration
Maroc
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Maroc
South-South Cooperation: Parliamentary Dialogue Forum Commends HM the King's Leadership
Participants in the 3rd South-South Parliamentary Dialogue Forum expressed their deep appreciation and sincere gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI for the prominent, pioneering role the Sovereign has been playing to promote South-South cooperation. In the Rabat Declaration, read by the House of Councilors' Speaker Mohamed Ould Errachid during the Forum's closing session, parliamentary leaders from across the globe commended HM the King's support for development and solidarity-based projects and initiatives aimed at furthering unity, complementarity, integration, and shared development. The Forum's participants commended the Sovereign's Atlantic Initiative, which aims to enable the Sahel countries to access the Atlantic Ocean and build a solid institutional framework that unites Atlantic Africa and enhances synergy among the countries of the South through greater logistical connectivity, economic openness and regional integration, particularly in the African, Arab, Latin American, and Asian geo-economic space. In this context, they commended all successful regional initiatives and tracks for integration and cooperation in Africa, the Arab world, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia designed to achieve prosperity and shared development, increase investment and trade opportunities, and lay solid foundations for a shared, more prosperous and sustainable future. The parliamentarians further emphasized the importance of bilateral, interregional, and continental parliamentary dialogues among the countries of the South as they rise to the new challenges facing international cooperation and pool efforts to confront growing challenges, while stressing that respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and non-interference in their internal affairs is the basis for peace, security, stability, and the achievement of sustainable development. They also pledged to consolidate the work of regional and continental parliamentary unions and of national parliaments in Africa, the Arab world, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia, so as to enhance coordination, communication, consultation, and the exchange of views on current strategic issues, thereby keeping abreast of swift technological developments and laying down legislative frameworks that consolidate the foundations of sustainable development and industrial progress in the countries of the South, help address future challenges, and support entrepreneurship. In this regard, they pledged to support research and innovation in the area of artificial intelligence technology as well as responsible practices aimed at encouraging the use of that technology to promote across-the-board development in the countries of the South. On this occasion, they noted the importance of convening this Forum as a platform for exploring pathways and possibilities for regional integration and closer South-South cooperation, using a strategic, participatory, and solidarity-based approach likely to lead to complementarity, to more effective integration pathways, and greater capacity for adaptation, coordination, and strategic positioning within new systems of global interaction. They also highlighted the role of this Forum as a mechanism for parliamentary advocacy regarding common issues and as a means to rise to the challenges faced and make the voice of the peoples of the South heard in various international gatherings. The Rabat Declaration commended the high level of discussion, dialogue, and interaction which characterized the Forum's proceedings and activities, as well as the valuable contributions of participants, praising the presentations made on the various topics of the Forum, particularly those relating to strengthening interregional and continental dialogues among the countries of the South. It also highlighted the importance of policies aimed at strengthening strategic partnerships across economic, social, and humanitarian sectors in order to achieve shared development and integration, and lay the groundwork for cooperation, solidarity, peace, stability, and prosperity. MAP: 29 avril 2025
Morocco World
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Algeria's AU Peace Council Bid Ends in Failure Despite Intensive Lobbying
Doha – Algeria has registered another major diplomatic failure as its bid to reclaim its seat on the African Union's Peace and Security Council collapsed on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, a source told Morocco World News (MWN). The country failed to secure the required majority despite an intensive mobilization campaign, forcing the postponement of the elections and marking yet another setback in its declining continental influence. Held during the 46th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council, the elections were meant to fill the seat Morocco has held for the past three years in the Peace and Security Council, the AU's executive body responsible for promoting peace, security, and stability in Africa. Throughout its tenure, Morocco has championed transformative initiatives within this crucial organ, spearheading solutions to the continent's pressing challenges such as the Sudan crisis and conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The prestigious French newspaper Le Monde recently highlighted Morocco's exemplary and growing leadership across Africa, describing the kingdom as a key ally for the West and an agent of genuine peace and stability in the Sahel region. Le Monde commended the significance of Morocco's diplomatic weight in the Sahel, particularly noting the country's recent successful interventions in securing the release of French security officers in Burkina Faso. This diplomatic prowess was further cemented by the recent Rabat Declaration, where 20 African Atlantic parliaments enthusiastically endorsed Morocco's continental vision, including its groundbreaking Atlantic access project for Sahel states and the strategic Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline Algeria's unsuccessful bid represents a crushing defeat for its diplomatic apparatus, which had mounted an aggressive campaign to secure the position. This latest failure unfolds as foreign ministers from AU member states convene in the Ethiopian capital for crucial two-day deliberations ahead of Saturday's summit. The Executive Council meeting carries particular significance this year, with elections scheduled for six AU commissioners, five Peace and Security Council members, and one member of the African Space Agency, along with several other key positions within the Union's structures. 'Leadership for Africa, not over Africa' In a powerful intervention during the Council meeting, Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita delivered a decisive rebuke to Algeria's hegemonic ambitions. Quoting King Mohammed VI's historic 2017 AU Summit speech, Bourita emphasized, 'Some say that through this commitment, Morocco seeks to acquire leadership in Africa. I tell them that it is to Africa that the Kingdom seeks to give leadership' on the world stage. Bourita systematically dismantled Algeria's approach, highlighting Morocco's responsible participation in AU elections to provide the organization with the most qualified profiles. 'This participation in this noble competition does not stem from a hegemonic ambition, as some might think,' he declared, contrasting sharply with Algeria's aggressive lobbying tactics. The top Moroccan diplomat went further, pointing to the urgent need for transformative AU leadership: 'We need, more than ever, leaders capable of alleviating the bureaucratic burden weighing on our Organization, making its management more transparent, more connected to African realities, and its actions on the ground more efficient.' His statement is a clear indictment of the type of obstructionist politics that Algeria has consistently pursued within the organization. Mounting failures expose Algeria's continental isolation Algeria's latest setback follows a pattern of diplomatic defeats that have exposed its growing isolation within the African Union. Since Morocco's triumphant return to the AU in 2017, Algeria has watched its influence steadily erode, particularly in its failed attempts to maintain the Polisario Front's presence in AU proceedings. The country's diplomatic apparatus has suffered repeated blows, most notably with the July 2024 decision at the Accra summit that effectively excluded the Polisario Front from all meetings between the AU and its international partners. This decision, supported by an overwhelming majority of 52 out of 54 votes, dealt a severe blow to Algeria's decades-long strategy of using the separatist group as a political weapon against Morocco. These developments mirror a broader shift in continental dynamics, where Algeria's traditional stronghold on AU politics has crumbled in the face of Morocco's pragmatic, development-oriented diplomacy. Morocco's approach has resonated strongly across Africa, securing support from both traditional allies and new partners, while Algeria's obsession with antagonizing Morocco has left it increasingly marginalized. And while any rational state would learn from such a catastrophic diplomatic trajectory, Algeria appears determined to plunge deeper into isolation. Its deteriorating regional position is evident as neighboring states openly denounce its destabilizing interference. Mali's government delivered a scathing rebuke to Algeria's meddling on January 1, declaring that 'Mali neither seeks nor accepts lessons from Algeria,' while accusing it of 'closeness and complicity with terrorist groups.' Similarly, Mauritania's recent military restructuring in late December 2024 came as a direct response to aggressive Algerian border violations, with Mauritanian officials rejecting what they termed 'absurd and unconvincing' explanations for territorial incursions. As the African Union prepares for its 38th Ordinary Summit this weekend, where new leadership for the AU Commission will be elected, these developments signal a significant evolution in the continental organization's political landscape. The summit will notably feature the election of a new AU Commission leadership, with candidates from Eastern Africa competing for the Chairperson position and North African candidates vying for the Deputy Chairperson role. Morocco's Latifa Akherbach has emerged as a frontrunner for the latter, facing competition from Egypt's Hanan Morsy and Algeria's Selma Malika Haddadi, amidst growing support for Morocco's increased continental engagement. Read also: Algeria: Diplomatic Stubbornness Amidst Twisting Geopolitical Time Tags: African UnionAlgeriaMorocco-Africa Relations
