Morocco, Pacific islands unite
RABAT: Morocco and 12 island states in the Pacific have agreed to boost economic and environment cooperation as the North African country is preparing to host the world’s climate summit, COP22, at its third largest city, Marrakesh, next year.
As the two-day, second Morocco/Pacific Island Forum in the capital of Rabat ended on Wednesday, cabinet ministers from the 13 countries agreed to work on a mediumterm action plan on technical sectors involving fisheries, agriculture, mining, the environment, phosphates, tourism, security, health and water supply, according to the forum’s joint statement.
The delegates of the 12 Pacific states were from Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
They also discussed issues related to climate change after recommendations made at the 21st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris because both Morocco and the Pacific states are working to promote better cooperation on the issues of biodiversity and sustainable development.
Morocco, famous for its meandering medinas and the scenic Atlas Mountains, has picked Marrakesh to be the venue for COP22 next year.
The first Edition of the Morocco/Pacific Island Forum was held in Rabat in 2012 and the third one will be held in Dakhla, a city in Western Sahara under Moroccan control, in March 2016.
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Salaheddine Mazouar, told the Bangkok Post Morocco was also looking for investment opportunities in tourism in those Pacific states because they are located in an “ideal geography”.
“We have our know-how knowledge to offer to the Pacific Islands States. We have helped many African countries to improve the quality of water, food and life. Even although the Pacific States are a bit far from Morocco that won’t be an obstacle,” Mr Mazouar said after the forum ended.
“Not only will the people in Pacific Sates benefit from our knowledge and expertise, but we also have a lot to learn from them as well. For example, fishery and fish processing are new to us. We hope we can learn from them now that we are united as one,” he added.
PNG Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato, cochairman of the forum, told the Bangkok Post the Pacific Island states have a lot to offer to the Kingdom of Morocco, a country of 40 million population and categorised by the World Bank as a lower middle income country.
“We have the opportunity for investment in terms of tourism, transportation, environment, fisheries and more. This is a new angle and opportunity for us to connect with other parts of the world because we are so isolated geographically. To be able to connect with the Kingdom of Morocco is a good thing because we can open our frontier to connect with Africa and Europe through them,” Mr Pato explained. The joint statement also voiced support for Morocco’s stance on Western Sahara, a disputed territory in the Maghreb region of North Africa comprising 266,000 sq km. The Pacific Island States “consider the Moroccan proposal of a large element of autonomy in the Sahara region is serious, credible and realistic,” said the joint statement.