Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 11:09 PM
Buenos Aires – The “excellent relations” that unite Morocco and Argentina, backed by a permanent dialogue, are called to evolve towards a “strategic alliance”, with the achievement of food and energy security in Africa as a backdrop, affirmed the ambassador of the Kingdom in Buenos Aires, Fares Yassir.
During a day of reflection in Buenos Aires on relations between Argentina and the African continent, the Moroccan diplomat welcomed the close ties that Argentina and Morocco maintain, through a “serious, permanent, transparent and credible dialogue”, which has made it possible to raise economic exchanges to levels never reached before (1.6 billion dollars).
For him, the current stage of bilateral relations should lead to a “strategic alliance” to guarantee the food and energy security of African countries.
The Moroccan diplomat developed many arguments in favor of this strategic alliance, insisting that Argentina can meet Africa’s food needs thanks to fertilizers produced by Morocco, whose phosphate reserves are sufficient for the next 700 years.
“Argentina is a large agricultural producer, but the soils exploited lose their vigor” over time, noted Fares Yassir, noting that Argentina imports 1.5 million tons of fertilizers to compensate for the wear and tear on its soil, 55% of which comes from Morocco.
Thus, he argued, a strategic dialogue between Morocco and Argentina is likely to guarantee the supply of food products to Africa at a reasonable cost.
The “strategic alliance” is also at work in the automotive sector, added the Moroccan ambassador, recalling that during the Covid period, Argentina turned to the Kingdom to supply its automotive industry with auto parts produced in Morocco.
“The potential is enormous between the two countries,” said the Moroccan ambassador, adding that the Atlantic Initiative, launched by HM King Mohammed VI, is part of this perspective of bringing together the two shores of this ocean that unites Argentina and Africa.
Addressing Argentina’s “African policy”, Fares Yassir considered that it must focus on three fundamental aspects: First, food security, which is lacking in Africa, then the energy sector in Africa, which needs technologies and know-how from Argentines, and finally the exchange of experiences in the fight against financial crises.
The Moroccan diplomat was keen to stress that “Africa constitutes the present and the future of humanity”, thanks to its natural and human resources.
Similarly, he noted, “the world’s view of Africa has changed,” hence the recent proliferation of forums and dialogues with Africa, such as the US-Africa, Russia-Africa, China-Africa, Japan-Africa, etc.
In this dynamic of promoting relations with Africa, Morocco has been a pioneer. It has taken the lead through initiatives that highlight the well-being of Africans.
The most important project promoted by the Kingdom, recalled Fares Yassir, is the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline which should supply natural gas to 14 African countries before supplying Europe through the Strait of Gibraltar.
The best way for Africa to deserve its status as the “future of humanity” is to transform the continent into a free trade zone so that it is able to attract investments from around the world, concluded the Moroccan ambassador.
The day of reflection on Africa was organized by the University of La Matanza (UNLaM) and the Strategic Dialogues Foundation.
