The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio went to Marrakech on May 10, to attend the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh, co-chaired by Morocco and the United States.
Established in September 2014, the Coalition currently comprises 85 Countries and Organizations and stands out for its multidimensional approach in combating terrorism, with a focus on stabilization, foreign fighters, communication, and tackling their sources of financing.
Minister Di Maio attended the panel dedicated to Iraq and Syria, two key countries in the Coalition’s actions, to also reaffirm Italy’s commitment in Afghanistan and in the African continent.
Italy is among the major contributors to the support and training activities offered to the military and police forces in Iraq, both through its presence on the ground and through the funds allocated to the stabilization of the areas liberated from ISIS.
Moreover, Italy also finances projects in the agricultural, healthcare, educational, humanitarian demining and local governance-building sectors in the North-East of Syria, through a 1-million-euro contribution to UNICEF for a program to reintegrate in their communities of origin Syrian minors currently hosted in camps in the North-East of the Country.
Di Maio’s visit to Morocco also allowed him to attend the meeting of the Africa Focus Group (AFG), created at the initiative of Italy, which also co-chairs it. The AFG intends to promote an approach combining the security dimension with the need to tackle the deep-set causes of radicalization phenomena by leveraging Africa’s ownership of the initiatives to combat terrorism.
Finally, Minister Di Maio held several bilateral meetings on the side-lines of the summit. Among these, of particular importance was the one with the Foreign Minister of Morocco, Nasser Bourita.
Ministers Di Maio and Bourita expressed their willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation also by signing the Action Plan for the implementation of the Multidimensional Strategic Partnership.
Talking to the press, Mr. Di Maio praised “the great dynamism of relations between Rabat and Rome and the excellent level of bilateral cooperation in all areas, including political, diplomatic, security and counter-terrorism”. Mr. Di Maio also underlined “the importance of the role played by Morocco as a pillar of democracy and stability in the Sahel and in the Mediterranean region in general, thanks to the reforms implemented by HM King Mohamed’s government“.
