Ouverture des travaux de la première Réunion ministérielle des Etats Africains Atlantiques

The ministers of the African Atlantic States, meeting Friday in New York, decided to hold their next ministerial meeting in Rabat during the first quarter of 2023.

In a statement adopted at the end of a meeting chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Resident Abroad, Nasser Bourita, the ministers reaffirmed their common political will, as expressed in the Rabat Declaration of June 8, to make the Atlantic African space a zone of peace, stability and shared prosperity.

They also welcomed the establishment of the Permanent Secretariat of the process, based in Rabat, in charge of the implementation of the decisions of the African Atlantic States, while insisting on the importance of defining the “Focal Points” to facilitate the work of consultation and coordination and to prepare the common decisions according to a consensual and concerted approach.

  In this context, the ministers invited the Permanent Secretariat and the “Focal Points” to continue the work of coordination and consultation for the finalization of the Program of Action in view of its presentation for validation at the next ministerial meeting.

The declaration also focused on the importance of the participation of the African Atlantic States in the work of three thematic groups created by virtue of the Rabat Declaration, relating to political and security dialogue; blue economy, maritime connectivity and energy; and sustainable development and the environment.

In this regard, they thanked Nigeria, Cape Verde and Gabon for having assumed the role of leaders of the three thematic groups respectively.

  The Ministers of the African Atlantic States emphasized the principle of establishing a progressive, collective and mutually supportive partnership between the African Atlantic States, aiming in the long term to deepen the bonds of cooperation and integration in the African Atlantic area as well as in the entire South Atlantic region.

They also welcomed the steps taken to structure this partnership, particularly through the development of the draft Action Program of the process responsible for defining strategic priorities as well as guiding the collective actions of the Atlantic African States to meet common challenges and identify opportunities for cooperation.

The Ministers noted the need to revitalize this partnership through concrete cooperation actions and initiatives that will benefit stability and co-development in the Atlantic African space, as well as the importance of disseminating the vision, objectives and opportunities of the Atlantic African Partnership to both national actors in the countries of the region and to international actors.

They also agreed to hold two ministerial meetings per year, one of which will be held on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly sessions in New York

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