Marrakech, Morocco, December 23 (Xinhua) -- The foreign ministers or representatives of Morocco and the Sahel countries Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger held a ministerial coordination meeting in the southern city of Marrakech on December 23 to discuss improving the convenience and regional connectivity of the countries of the Sahel region to connect with the Atlantic.
The meeting revolved around the previous initiatives of King Mohammed VI of Morocco. In a public speech on 6 November, Mohammed VI expressed the desire to launch an international initiative to improve access to the Atlantic Ocean for the countries of the Sahel region, to upgrade the infrastructure and communication networks of the countries concerned, and expressed Morocco's readiness to assist the countries concerned in the development of infrastructure.
According to the communiqué issued after the coordination meeting on the 23rd, the participants said in their statements that the initiative will help the landlocked countries of the Sahel region to connect to the Atlantic, thereby creating opportunities for economic development and infrastructure connectivity. It was agreed that a national working group would be established in their countries to facilitate the implementation of the initiative.
The Sahel region, a narrow strip of 320 to 480 km wide south of the Sahara Desert in Africa, has been plagued by poverty, armed conflict and natural disasters in recent years. Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger are all landlocked countries in the region.
*:Xinhua.