Lisbon: Morocco at the second Strategic Triangle meeting: Latin America-Africa-Europe

This meeting initiated by the Institute for the Promotion and Development of Latin America (IPDAL) gave participants the opportunity to exchange ideas, to question the strategic partnership between Africa, the Europe and Latin America and explore the various opportunities to strengthen relationships and even triangular cooperation on the political, economic and socio-cultural levels.

This framework of dialogue allowed stakeholders to emphasise the need to build the potential of the three regions, linguistic and cultural proximity and human capital in order to promote investments, strong partnerships and build an effective and complementary strategic triangle .

Speaking on this occasion as dean of the Group of African Ambassadors accredited in Lisbon, Morocco's ambassador to Portugal, Karima Benyaich, said that the world realised today that it will be increasingly difficult, if not impossible to continue to ignore an entire continent in motion and which moreover has 54 of the 193 UN member states, a continent now where more than a billion peopl now live, or one-seventh of the world population.

With a continuous increase in GDP in most African countries, the continent represents a market potential that counts, in 2020-2025, 1.4 billion consumers, said the diplomat, adding that the time has come to give the partnership between Africa, Europe and Latin America breath and ambition of a common destiny which will reduce the North-South divide and find ways and means to a fairer and more balanced wealth .

This new horizon, legitimate and lasting partnership, inspired by the vision of cooperation between equals and win-win situation can only be supportive and involving all stakeholders in the development, assured the diplomat, noting that is why the establishment of a close symmetrical partnership between and Africa, Europe and Latin America is essential.

The reasons are because economic growth in Africa will be tomorrow's growth in Europe and Latin America and numerous SMEs and SMIs especially in Europe, contribute already, through their activities on the continent, to promoting the emergence of an efficient African entrepreneurship, Benyaich said.

The reasons are that through human flows that give the partnership between these three geographical areas but also new momentum for strategic partnership between Africa, Europe and Latin America is able to balance the temptation of the Pacific to be the center of the new world order, the diplomat added, noting that although Africa still faces huge challenges including poverty, food, health, education, peace and security, it convincined, every day, its ability to register early in sustainable development.

Referring to Morocco's cooperation with African, European and Latin American countries, the ambassador said that the Kingdom was a crucible of civilization, a crossroads between the North and the South, land of tolerancewhich has always considered its African roots and European Neighbourhood and Latin America as an opportunity to strengthen its political, economic, social and cultural environment but also in strengthening its role as a bridge that is based on long-standing relationships forged with Africa, Europe and Latin America.

Morocco is a country on the move through multiple political, economic and social carried by King Mohammed VI in a regional and international context marked by a series of mutations, she added.

After touching on comprehensive democratic advances and deep reforms in different areas, the Ambassador stressed that this movement in Morocco, its African roots are deep historical and strategic, noting that the many initiatives taken by the United illustrate its commitment to serve the development and lasting peace on the continent and promote new areas of partnership.

With the same convictions, Morocco benefiting from the advanced status in its relations with the European Union, has strengthened its partnership with Europe, the diplomat added, saying that with the same momentum, the Kingdom has set new priorities in Latin America, where new countries opt for mutual cooperation and effective partnership modern.

During this two-day event organized in partnership with the Ibero-American General Secretariat, and especially marked by the participation of the Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, he was carried to the presentation of results of a study to identify the potential of the strategic triangle Latin America, Europe, Africa.

This study by the international consulting firm Accenture Management and entitled triangulation in the Atlantic area reveals the weight of emerging Asia in global growth but also the existence of a potential real triangle Latin America Europe, Africa to create an alternative pole.