Assahafa.com
Foreign ministers of the member states of the Royal Initiative on the Atlantic African States Process (AASP) held their 6th meeting on Friday in New York, on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting followed the “Africa for the Ocean” Summit, held at the initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI on June 9 in Nice, during the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3).
It marks a major milestone in strengthening this Royal Initiative, which aims to deepen cooperation and integration among African states bordering the Atlantic. The meeting also served as an opportunity to announce actions that will further consolidate the ownership and anchoring of this initiative by its members.
As a sign of this ownership, Benin will host the next meeting of the AASP FMs in 2026 to continue discussions on the implementation of the Initiative, which is intended to be pragmatic and based on solidarity, in line with the enlightened Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
This 6th meeting also comes after the 5th meeting of the AASP Foreign Ministers, held on May 8 in Praia, Cape Verde, which was marked by the adoption of several important recommendations aimed at consolidating the structuring of the Initiative, particularly in terms of strengthening coordination mechanisms and involving national institutions in its implementation.
In this context, Morocco’s Ministry of Equipment and Water is preparing to organize, in the first quarter of 2026, the International Port Exhibition, where the Royal Initiative will be highlighted as one of its key activities.
In preparation for the New York meeting, senior officials from AASP Foreign Ministries held a meeting in early September to exchange views on national coordination mechanisms related to the Initiative’s implementation.
On this occasion, Morocco’s national coordination mechanism was presented along with the coordination frameworks established by other member states. Participants unanimously emphasized the need for effective coordination to ensure the initiative’s success, as well as the importance of its institutionalization.
The AASP is the embodiment of the Royal Initiative aimed at structuring cooperation and integration among the African states that share the Atlantic Ocean, with the goal of enhancing their security and co-development.
Since its launch in June 2022, the Initiative has gained wide recognition at both regional and international levels. It has now become one of the key instruments of the Kingdom’s South-South cooperation dynamic on the African continent.
Source: map
