At the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad and the Departments of State and Defense of the United States, the work of the Meeting of the Security Initiative against the (PSI) for North Africa were launched this Tuesday, December 6 in Tangier.
The regional meeting organized by Morocco from December 6 to 8 is attended by more than 60 participants, including officials and experts from the United States, Angola, Kenya, Djibouti, Cameroon, France, from Spain, Mauritania, Italy and Greece.
As for the Moroccan national departments, these are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, the Royal Armed Forces, the Royal Navy, the National Defense Administration, the Royal Gendarmerie, the Ministry of the Interior, the General Directorate of National Security, the General Directorate of Civil Protection, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Investments and the Digital Economy, the Customs and Indirect Tax Administration, the Authority National Financial Intelligence Agency, the Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security and the National Center for Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Techniques which will take part in the event.
This is an opportunity for member countries to promote this initiative in Africa by encouraging other nations on the continent to join. In particular, it represents an opportunity for exchanging and sharing experience and know-how, enabling the strengthening, in this field, of national capacities, of inter-ministerial coordination and of bilateral, multilateral and regional cooperation.
This approach is part of the prevention of the acquisition, by terrorist groups and non-State actors, of weapons of mass destruction as adopted by resolution 1540 drawn up in 2004 by the United Nations Security Council and the implementation of the terms of the Strategic Dialogue between Morocco and the United States of America in its security component.
Redouane Houssaini, Director of the United Nations and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, highlighted, during the opening ceremony, the symbolic value of the organization of an event of such importance to the city of Tangier since it is a ” emblematic city of the bicentenary relations between Morocco and the United States of America and the dynamics of the partnership between the two countries, to which King Mohammed VI pays particular attention and which is characterized by its unique geographical position.
The same official called for a channeling of the efforts of the international community on non-proliferation issues at the strategic commercial crossroads of the Mediterranean, while referring to the unique characteristics of the region, in this case ” the deep links between the challenges of terrorism, separatism and the risks of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-state actors, the connections with security threats in the Sahel and the African Atlantic seaboard and the political obstacles to genuine sub-national cooperation regional in North Africa“.
Houssaini also tried to recall the position of Morocco, a country which remains attached to all the strategic objectives aimed at strengthening African national capacities and regional and sub-regional cooperation to meet the challenge of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction with a pragmatic and results-oriented approach.
In addition, Thomas W. Zarzecki, director of the Office of Counterproliferation Initiatives at the United States Department of State, praised on this occasion Morocco’s leadership in terms of the PSI as well as the efforts it has made. deployed to promote this initiative in Africa. He said that the two countries, Morocco and the United States, have the same vision when it comes to strengthening their cooperation and assured that his country would continue its commitment to sharing expertise with the Moroccan authorities. The aim is to deal with security threats targeting the North African region.
As a result, the ministry and the US department reiterated their commitment to strengthening this cooperation and promoting the PSI initiative in Africa alongside the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Proliferation Security Initiative.
It should be noted that the Kingdom joined this initiative in 2008, the objective of which is to strengthen all kinds of cooperation between members and participants and unite them in the fight against the various challenges relating to the acquisition weapons of mass destruction.