King Mohammed VI Lays Out His Vision For A New African-Indian partnership

Bethesda , Maryland, 10/30/2015 /SubmitPressRelease123/

HM King Mohammed VI arrived this Thursday to the “Indira Ghandia” stadium to participate in the third India-Africa Forum held in New Delhi from October 26-29, 2015.

On this occasion , the King delivered an important speech reflecting his vision of the India-Africa Strategic Partnership.

In his address, the Monarch stressed that Morocco has become the top African investor in West Africa and the second biggest in the continent, noting that South-South cooperation is now a “pressing need”.

The Sovereign also underlined that both at the bilateral level and in the framework of triangular cooperation, Morocco is keen to carry out tangible projects in productive areas which boost development, create jobs and have a direct impact on the citizens’ lives.

HM the King went on that the summit is “an opportunity for us to assess South-South cooperation, which is the cornerstone of the African-Indian partnership”, stressing that it should serve “as a platform to lay the foundations for an efficient, solidarity-based, multidimensional South-South cooperation model, through which we can make optimal use of the resources and potential available in our countries”.

“Our cooperation therefore has to turn the page on the legacy of the past and seek to serve our countries’ strategic interests”, the Sovereign recommended, insisting that South-South cooperation “is neither a mere slogan nor a political luxury”.

“This is a pressing need”, said the Sovereign, highlighting “the scale of the challenges faced.”

“Indeed, we cannot rely on conventional patterns of cooperation that today no longer help us respond to the growing needs of our peoples”, pointed out HM the King

Furthermore , HM King Mohammed VI called countries of the South to trust themselves and invest their assets and skills in the pursuit of shared progress for their peoples and thus catch up with emerging countries.

“Just as, on an earlier occasion, I pointed out that Africa should learn to trust Africa, today, from this rostrum, I would like to call upon the countries of the South to trust themselves and to invest their assets and skills in the pursuit of shared progress for their peoples and thus catch up with emerging countries”, said the Sovereign.

After recalling that Africa’s adhesion to a number of bilateral and continental cooperation forums which are quite useful, although “some of them suffer from overlapping and imbalance, which often result in a lack of commitment and affect their efficiency”, HM the King noted that “Today, Africa deserves fair partnerships, rather than unbalanced relationships and conditional support.”

“As I indicated in my address in Abidjan, Africa does not need assistance as much as it needs mutually beneficial partnerships as well as human and social projects”, the Sovereign stated noting that “securing a bright future for our peoples is a responsibility that we must shoulder.”

“Our countries should continue to work together and uphold the principle of solidarity in order to serve their interests, otherwise, we will, once again, miss a historic opportunity”, insisted the Sovereign who warned that “this would be tantamount to a leap into the unknown.

HM The King also voiced “appreciation to India and its Prime Minister for making sure this Forum Summit is different from previous ones in terms of its objectives and general orientation as well as the nature of its recommendations and follow-up measures.”

In addition , HM King Mohammed VI called African countries to adopted a “comprehensive approach rooted in close cooperation with India”.

“Given the mix of development challenges and unprecedented terrorist threats they face, the Member Countries of this Forum should adopt a comprehensive approach rooted in close cooperation with India”, the Sovereign said .

After expressing Morocco’s readiness to set up “a joint working group to ensure coordination and information sharing”, HM the King said he firmly believes that the “promising” African-Indian partnership can grow and prosper thanks to the complementary nature of resources and skills, and “thus help us achieve our objectives and serve our peoples.”

The sovereign also argued that security and stability are the bedrock of development, insisting that “without them, our countries cannot achieve social progress nor undertake meaningful development initiatives.

HM King Mohammed VI expressed “appreciation” for India’s “constructive” position on the Moroccan Sahara issue and support to the UN process to resolve this artificial conflict.

“I should like to express our appreciation for the Republic of India’s constructive position concerning the Moroccan Sahara issue and for supporting the UN process to resolve this artificial conflict”, said the Sovereign on Thursday at the opening of the third India-Africa forum summit in New Delhi.

HM the King regretted, on the other hand, “that some countries have been unable to move forward, they continue repeating obsolete discourses and theses that date back more than 40 years.”

The Sovereign also expressed admiration for India’s “pioneering development model” that has enabled it to become one the emerging global powers, noting that this evolution makes “India’s ambition to play a key role within UN agencies in charge of global peace and security all the more legitimate.”

HM the King further lauded India’s “balanced, responsible foreign policy based on respect for international legitimacy and for the territorial integrity of states, as well as on the defense of developing countries’ interests and just causes”, praising Morocco-India “outstanding relations” dating back to the time of “His Majesty King Mohammed VI – may he rest in peace – and of the great leader Jawaharlal Nehru, who were both engaged in the struggle for the liberation and independence of African States.”

The Sovereign recollected “fond memories” of his first visit to India in 1983 to lead the Moroccan delegation to the Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement and also of his first official visit here in 2001, stressing that Morocco is looking forward to “launching joint initiatives with India, within the framework of this Forum, in areas which are a priority for our peoples and in which our two countries have gained extensive expertise.”

“An example of fruitful partnership between our two countries is our cooperation in the field of phosphates and their derivatives, which we seek to expand to include food security programs, putting our know-how at the disposal of some African countries”, pointed out HM the King who also voiced Morocco’s resolve to expand prospects for bilateral cooperation, particularly in such sectors as agriculture, the pharmaceutical industry, research in science and technology and the training of managerial staff, making sure we build on that experience to serve African peoples.

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