RABAT, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Mauritania agreed to enhance cooperation after their foreign ministers met Monday here in the Moroccan capital.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said Mauritania is a key partner in his country's initiative to improve the Sahel countries' access to the Atlantic Ocean, according to Morocco's official news agency MAP.

The initiative, proposed by Moroccan King Mohammed VI in November last year, aims to upgrade the infrastructure and connectivity of the Sahel region. Of the Sahel countries, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger have agreed to enhance cooperation by focusing on the initiative.

Bourita praised the "special and long-standing" relations between Morocco and Mauritania based on geography, kinship and neighborliness. He said Morocco is Mauritania's top trading partner and investor in Africa.

For his part, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, Mauritania's minister of foreign affairs, cooperation and Mauritanians abroad, said the two countries have a "promising" future and share strong ties of blood and religion.

Morocco has been seeking to boost its influence and cooperation in the Sahel region, a semiarid region of western and north-central Africa that faces challenges such as poverty, development and climate change. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)