Mali highlights its relations with Morocco
Morocco continues to attract a large number of neighbouring countries. The growth of the Alawi kingdom in many sectors is leading many of its neighbouring states to move closer to Rabat and seek to improve their relations with Aziz Akhannouch's government. The most recent case is that of Mali, whose Prime Minister, Choguel Kokala Maiga, has praised ties with his Moroccan ally as a "brother and friend".
Mali-Morocco: special relation
This is how Kokala Maiga sees it. He believes that "Morocco is a brotherly and friendly country with lasting and special relations with Mali". In fact, he assures that continuing on the path of construction depends to a large extent on strengthening its relations with its Moroccan ally. He stressed "the richness, depth and strength of the ties between the two countries", reflected in events such as the inauguration of the Mohammed VI clinic for prenatal and postnatal care in Bamako in July 2022.
Another move that signalled Mali's intentions was the appointment in late January of Favre Camara as Mali's new ambassador to Morocco. The communiqué issued by the Presidency after Camara's appointment as ambassador to Morocco 'came to reinforce the dynamic relations between the two countries, which have reached sixty cooperation agreements, with the need to resume the joint committee between Mali and Morocco, which has been suspended for some time'.
Sherifa Lemuir, a political science researcher, told Al-Arab that the Malian Prime Minister's words 'are a strong indication of the depth of relations with Morocco, especially in the current transitional circumstances that the country is going through'. In this sense, Morocco's neutral stance throughout this process is noteworthy, and has served to maintain good ties with Bamako, as is now reflected.
Observers believe that the atmosphere of tension in regional countries such as Libya, Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso has further encouraged Mali to move closer to Morocco. They see Rabat as an opportunity to ally itself with one of the continent's fastest growing countries, and it wants to do so from every possible angle.
Atlantic Initiative
One of Morocco's most ambitious projects. The Atlantic Initiative promoted by King Mohammed VI aims to provide African coastal countries with efficient communications that will bring significant economic growth to the region. Mali is one of the countries that have joined this idea, which has also been supported by countries such as the United States, which are keen to increase trade flows with countries in the region.
It is hoped that this initiative can redesign the geostrategic scenario in Africa and move countries such as Niger, Chad and Mali itself away from isolation. And it is vital to do so from a region that contributes around 55% of the continent's gross domestic product.