Morocco and the Visegrád “V4” Group (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia) expressed their “strong determination” to provide new impetus to their collaboration to address common issues on Tuesday during the inaugural “V4 + Morocco” ministerial conference.

“Morocco and its partners within the Visegrád Group have a strong determination to strengthen their cooperation to face common challenges, particularly in the fight against terrorism, illegal immigration and cross-border organized crime”, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, during a press conference following this meeting.

Mr. Bourita emphasized on this event the exciting prospects for collaboration between the two parties, as well as the potential for expanding it to new areas by enhancing Morocco’s potential as a gateway to the African continent and the Visegrád Group’s potential as a platform to Central and Eastern Europe.

He also emphasized Morocco’s assets as a regional stabilizing force, as well as its strong commitment to the African continent’s growth and development in order to become a “credible and responsible” partner for the V4.

“We will work tirelessly to develop triangular cooperation initiatives between the Visegrád Group and Morocco in favor of Africa,” said Mr. Bourita, It is worth emphasizing that the Kingdom and the V4 countries share the same belief about the necessity to diversify alliances in order to face the many current problems.

1/2 🇨🇿🇲🇦Bylo mi potěšením setkat se s ministrem #NasserBourita. 🇲🇦 je klíčovým partnerem při řešení některých z největších výzev, kterým čelíme – od nelegální migrace až po terorismus. Jsou zde také velké příležitosti pro prohlubování obchodní spolupráce. @ed_mzvcr @Marocdiplo_EN pic.twitter.com/wis0D5Dukl

— Jakub Kulhanek (@JakubKulhanek) December 6, 2021

The official, who emphasized Morocco’s importance to partnerships with the Visegrád Group, both bilaterally and to strengthen Morocco’s partnership with the EU, expressed hope that the two sides’ shared desire to strengthen cooperation relations translate into “concrete initiatives and programs in the service of our common interests.”

The Foreign Ministers of the Visegrád Group member countries, for their part, welcomed the inaugural “V4 + Morocco” ministerial meeting, emphasizing the importance of continuing and strengthening this robust, significant, and enriching discussion through operational channels.

They were also unanimous in their gratitude for Morocco’s role as a supplier of peace and stability in the region, as well as its significant efforts in the areas of security and counter-terrorism.

The V4 ministers also emphasized Morocco’s critical role in combating illicit immigration.

In this regard, they emphasized the importance of the European Union providing additional assistance to the Kingdom in terms of border control as well as boosting its capacities in the fight against irregular immigration.

The foreign ministers of the V4 countries also lauded HM King Mohammed VI’s leadership and dedication to promoting the ideals of peace, stability, and coexistence.

They underlined the Visegrád Group’s commitment to protecting Morocco’s interests within the EU, expressing their dedication to Morocco’s status as a key partner of the European Union.

The V4 Ministers also stated that the European Union must provide direct and meaningful assistance to Morocco in its development efforts, repeating their support for the EU Council’s application to the CJEU to rescind the European Court’s judgements on agriculture and fisheries agreements with Morocco.

On the day before the meeting of V4 and Morocco foreign ministers, 🇵🇱 FM @RauZbigniew met in Budapest with 🇲🇦 FM Nasser Bourita.

The meeting focused on bilateral relations in political, economic and cultural-scientific dimensions. pic.twitter.com/Pe3hqqaBTc

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) December 6, 2021

The Visegrád Group (V4), which has succeeded in establishing itself as a significant coalition inside the EU, occasionally broadens its work to other partners through so-called “V4 Plus” formats, depending on the Group’s presidency’s European and international goals.

The Hungarian presidency of the Visegrád Group for the term 2021-2022 prioritizes expanding cooperation with Morocco as well as the successful implementation of ongoing cooperative projects with the Kingdom.

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The reaction to the Covid-19 outbreak and recovery following the global health catastrophe are being discussed at the second ministerial summit of the African Union (AU) – the European Union (EU), whose preparatory work began today with Morocco’s participation.

High-level officials from the African Union and the European Union’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs called for a strong and united partnership to confront the difficulties posed by the corona virus pandemic during their preliminary meeting.

Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Vice-Chairperson of the African Union Commission and head of the African Union Commission delegation, spoke about the chaos produced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity for a strong Afro-European relationship to face common concerns in a speech.

“The world as we know it has altered quickly, with far-reaching ramifications that we are still trying to identify,” Nsanzabaganwa said, urging for increased cooperation between the African Union and the European Union to speed up the continent’s post-Covid growth.

“Africa needs all the essential support from its closest partners and allies to recover and rebuild itself better,” she said, referring to the epidemic’s catastrophic impacts.

According to Rita Laranjinha, Director-General of the European External Action Service, Europe and Africa must collaborate more closely on a variety of topics in order for both continents to have a brighter future.

“Africa and Europe share a common obligation to improve the global agenda,” she added, noting that the second AU-EU ministerial meeting was an essential step toward the sixth EU-AU summit, which will take place in Brussels in early 2022.

Ministers from Europe and Africa, according to Ms. Laranjinha, must identify the most essential priorities, perspectives, and common concerns to include on the agenda.

Participants at the second AU-EU ministerial conference will look at methods to build resilience and increase investments in digital and ecological transformation, in addition to the theme of the COVID-19 response. The second African Union-European Union ministerial conference, which will end in a joint declaration, will bring together around 500 participants, including more than 60 foreign ministers from the African Union and the European Union.

Morocco was represented at this preparatory meeting by a delegation that included Omar Amghar, Director of the European Union and Mediterranean Series, Radwan Dghoughi, Chief of the Regional Partnerships Section of the Greater Morocco Directorate and the African Maghreb Union Affairs, Mohamed El Atlassi, and the Political Adviser of the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom in Addis Ababa, Yassine Ghouane.

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During the Ministerial Conference in support of the Autonomy Initiative under Morocco’s Sovereignty held today Friday 15 January, co-chaired by Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita and attended on video-conference technology by more than 40 different countries, FM Bourita focused the conference’s rationale on what is after the recognition of the Moroccan Sahara?

Bourita strongly asserted that it’s high time countries moved from a mere recognition to an action plan to implement the Autonomy Initiative.

He further affirmed that the Autonomy Initiative is not a mere intellectual concept, but it is a pragmatic political path, a societal project and a constructive solution, which is already on the move.

Bourita explained that Morocco has moved to the implementation of the Autonomy Initiative and that is through establishing a democratic and orderly election of the genuine and legitimate representatives of the populations of the Moroccan Sahara. In addition to that, the new Development Model for the Southern Provinces and the advanced regionalization which make them all concrete steps currently being implemented towards the full realization of the autonomy status of the Sahara.

Bourita further cited His Majesty, King of Morocco, Mohammed VI’s quote that “The projects we have launched and those we will start, will position the Moroccan Sahara as an integrated economic hub. Called to serve as a link between Morocco and its African depth, it will assert itself as a hub for relations between countries in the region.”

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