Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) secretary general Fathallah Sijilmassi is calling for expansion of the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue to sub-Saharan Africa.
In an interview with Moroccan newspaper LesEcos.ma on 3 January, he said there is no Euro-Mediterranean without Africa and that all his work is part of a vision connecting Europe with the Mediterranean and Africa. He added he was deeply convinced of this strategic link between Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa.
Sijilmassi said that despite problems, the UfM was an institution that was more important than ever, and that if it did not exist it would be necessary to create it. He stated that beyond the problems and areas of tension, the world was such that there is the need to encourage everyone to talk and make progress together.
Sijilmassi added that all conflicts in the region, including the Palestinian question, act as brakes on the UfM. However, he felt it would be a strategic error to say that one has to wait for these conflicts to be solved before building a positive agenda. He said it was a duty to provide the necessary support and accompaniment to the millions of young people in the Euro-Mediterranean region, and he spoke of the potential that he has found everywhere in Mediterranean countries. (Original version in French by Fathi B’Chir)