A political meeting to promote the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) in African countries started in Marrakech on Wednesday to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
The meeting, running until Feb. 2 at the invitation of Morocco and the US, is co-chaired by the Director of the UN and International Organizations at the Moroccan Foreign Ministry, Redouane Houssaini, and US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs Bonnie Jenkins.
The meeting aims to encourage African countries to support the PSI, which seeks to curb the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The PSI seeks to establish alliances among countries to collaborate and use their resources to create various legal, diplomatic, and military instruments. These efforts are designed to prevent the transportation of hazardous cargo via road, air, and sea routes.
The opening session of the meeting saw the presence of ministers and delegations from countries of the African continent, in addition to regional partners and allies.
The Proliferation Security Initiative is a flexible, voluntary framework for multilateral international cooperation. It was launched in 2003 by adopting the "Paris Principles," known as the "Interdiction Principles."
It brings together more than 100 countries and seeks to stop the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction and related materials.
The initiative, which Morocco joined in 2008, aims to strengthen cooperation between various actors through practical measures to combat the illegal transfer of weapons of mass destruction.
In a video message, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said Morocco has always defended multilateral cooperation as the most appropriate framework for coordinating international efforts to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
He noted that Morocco has supported several international initiatives in this area and aims to continue its partnership with the US and African countries to integrate the PSI into the African security landscape.
According to the Moroccan News Agency, Bourita also confirmed that his country has supported international initiatives in this field.
He said the Moroccan experience demonstrated the importance of the PSI in inter-ministerial coordination to address non-proliferation challenges, stressing that the Marrakesh meeting is an excellent opportunity to enhance the involvement of African countries in the Initiative to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
