The U.S. Department of State has commended Morocco for hosting the political meeting on the Initiative to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, targeting African countries. The United States affirms its commitment to closely coordinate and collaborate with the Kingdom of Morocco, aiding participating countries in enhancing this initiative across Africa.
The meeting, held in Marrakech from January 31 to February 2, highlighted Morocco’s dedication in the High-Level Political Meeting for the twentieth anniversary of the initiative (HLPM), held in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, on May 30, 2023. This underscores Morocco’s continual engagement in global and continental peace and security issues.
The diplomatic statement elaborated that the high-level meeting in Marrakech provided an opportunity to emphasize the close strategic partnership between the United States and Morocco, initiated through strategic dialogue since 2013. It also aimed to showcase the depth of this enduring historical friendship, exploring ways to expand its horizons towards trilateral cooperation, including Africa, in security matters.
The U.S. State Department recalled the intervention of Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad, in which he reiterated Morocco’s seriousness and commitment to continuing cooperation with the United States. This cooperation aims to encourage more African countries to support this initiative, with a focus on the African dimension in international cooperation to address global security challenges.
The joint concluding statement, issued by the U.S. side in collaboration with Moroccan authorities, acknowledged that “countries endorsing the ban principles issued by the Security Initiative to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction at this meeting have expressed interest in participating in regional and sub-regional follow-up activities for new signatories at a later time.”
The statement also welcomed the outcomes of the meeting, especially the “Marrakech Declaration” and the action plan to be supervised jointly by Morocco and the United States. This plan is expected to provide additional impetus to the initiative through organized activities such as training workshops and practical cooperation, targeting African countries newly joining the initiative and enabling them to enhance their national capacities to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The meeting in Marrakech aimed to underscore the importance of cooperation among Southern countries as a coordination point, elucidating how countries in this framework can leverage their strengths and resources to address common challenges. Notably, the “Marrakech Declaration” welcomed the accession of Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Zambia, Togo, and Benin to the Security Initiative to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction, bringing the total number of African member countries to 11.
It is worth mentioning that the political meeting on the Security Initiative to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, targeting African countries, was jointly chaired by the Director of the United Nations and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad, Redouane El Housni, and the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Bonnie Jenkins. High-level representatives from several countries participated in the event.