Morocco, Pacific Island States reaffirm commitment to strengthen cooperation, Laayoune Declaration

LAAYOUNE — Morocco and the Pacific Island States reiterated on Friday in Laayoune their commitment to strengthen their cooperation in a spirit of solidarity and respect for national priorities, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

“We reaffirm our commitment to strengthen cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Pacific Island States for the mutual benefit of our respective countries, within the framework of South-South Cooperation, in a spirit of solidarity and in accordance with national priorities”, wrote the “Laayoune Declaration” adopted by the 3rd Morocco-Pacific Island States Forum. 

The signatories of the Laayoune Declaration say they are “grateful to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the vision and the will of the Kingdom” to promote its relations with the Pacific Island States to reach “new” levels in various fields of cooperation, describing the Laayoune Forum as a platform for strengthening dialogue on common challenges and cooperation in areas of shared interest. 

Roadmaps outlining cooperation between Morocco and each of the participating states, over a period of three years, were adopted on this occasion, according to the statement.

The Laayoune Declaration says that instruments will define the objectives, areas, financial means and methods of implementing the projects covered by these roadmaps, on the basis of a preliminary study and an exhaustive analysis of the potential for cooperation and sharing of Morocco’s experiences in each of the selected fields, taking into account the needs and expectations expressed by partner states. 

Morocco and its Pacific partners also commit “in good faith” to work to achieve the objectives set in the Laayoune roadmaps to consolidate their cooperation, insisting on the need to pool efforts to hold the 4th edition of this forum in the Pacific region in 2023, and to assess annually the progress made in the implementation of this declaration and the roadmaps, during meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. 

Guided by a spirit of solidarity, and recognising the vulnerability of Pacific Island States to the effects of climate change, Morocco is committed to sharing its experience and expertise in the fields of climate change, education and training, agriculture, fisheries, food security, tourism and health. 

The heads of delegations of the Pacific Island States welcome, on this occasion, the efforts of coordination for the achievement of the common goals of peace, international security and sustainable development, while expressing their strong will to mutually support their respective positions within the United Nations and other international organisations, read the statement.