During the proceedings of this forum, organized by the University Institute for African, Euro-Mediterranean and Ibero-American Studies at Mohammed V University in Rabat and the Ishaa Center for Geopolitical and Strategic Studies, they stressed that Morocco has linked the Atlantic initiative to its southern provinces, which constitute a geographical, cultural and civilizational space and a strategic link between the Kingdom and its African depth, in order to turn these provinces into a region of attraction at the continental and international levels.
The speakers pointed out that the major structural projects launched in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, in implementation of the high directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, such as the Atlantic port project, the Tiznit-Dakhla highway and the creation of university institutions, will form the solid core of any project linking Morocco to its continental perimeter.
In this regard, President of the Ishaa Center for Geopolitical and Strategic Studies, Mohamed Kaihl, discussed the background of the Moroccan initiative towards the Atlantic and coastal countries, stressing that it is based on strengthening the economic dimension of the Kingdom's southern provinces and integrating them into its Atlantic and coastal surroundings, based on Morocco's distinguished political and economic relations with the countries of the region.
In light of the geo-strategic shifts and the changing map of international alliances, Morocco has adopted a new strategy based on economic and political diplomacy, by linking economic geography to the Sahara issue and security and stability in the Sahel region, making the Moroccan Sahara the pole of reference in this promising Atlantic initiative, Mr. Kaihl added.
Abdelaziz Berdouane El Idrissi, professor of higher education at the Faculty of Law in Mohammedia, affiliated to Hassan II University in Casablanca, focused on the structuring of the Afro-Atlantic space and its impact on the strategic positioning of the Moroccan Sahara's Atlantic front.
Mr. El Idrissi stressed that the Atlantic space must have its own vision, in order to combine the opportunities and potential for development with the challenges and constraints it faces, adding that Africa must transform, through the Forum of African States of the Atlantic Space, into an entity with a single vision and a single perception, to be able to defend its common interests.
Abdelali Benelias, professor of higher education at the Faculty of Law of the Mohammed V University in Rabat, discussed the Moroccan Sahara as a space for Atlantic cooperation and integration for the Sahel countries, as well as the arrangements and measures taken by the Kingdom to strengthen its regional integration in Africa.
Mr. Benelias stressed that Morocco was able to build a new approach to return strongly to its African depth by renewing its diplomatic and political relations with the countries of the continent, and adopting economic diplomacy, which was reflected in the royal visits to a number of African countries, which resulted in several economic, commercial, political and security agreements.
Rachid Shahmi, research professor in history and director of the Toubkal Academy for Research and Social Studies, addressed the historical centrality of the Moroccan Sahara in the commercial and diplomatic dimensions between northern Morocco and the African coast, through three main themes: “The centrality of the Sahara in political relations between Morocco and Africa,” “The Sahara is the center of commercial and economic communication,” and “The centrality of the Sahara in religious ties between North and South.”
Through this historical approach, he highlighted that the Moroccan desert was one of the pillars of political, economic and cultural communication that linked the centers of Western Sudan with the cities of North Africa and the Mediterranean countries of Europe, stressing that the Moroccan desert, through its geographical location, played a leading role in organizing trade lines throughout its long history.
Professor of African and American Studies (United States) and former Ambassador of Morocco to Kenya, Mokhtar Gambo, provided a scientific explanation of this topic based on historical, cultural and geo-strategic facts and data that support the idea that Morocco is indeed a strategic bridge between the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic.
Mr. Gambo highlighted the solid foundations of the royal initiative, which include Morocco's position as the first investor in West Africa and its efforts to integrate countries in the Sahel region that do not have access to the sea, recalling some of the major continental projects in which the Kingdom is involved (blue economy, education and training, among others).
The forum, organized in partnership with the Dakhla-Wadi El Dahab Regional Council and the National School of Commerce and Management in Dakhla, is held under the theme “The Moroccan Sahara as a cultural heritage and a space for integration into the Afro-Atlantic Ocean, based on the visionary royal vision.”
This meeting is part of the context of keeping pace with the transformations that the Kingdom is witnessing in the context of its regional, continental and international surroundings, and the efforts to contribute to anticipating the trends of current international and regional events and following the map of the Kingdom's geopolitical interactions with these events, within the framework of Morocco's position as a rising regional power that plays a vital role in its continental and international surroundings.
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