Main outcomes of the Tunis Declaration of the Western Mediterranean Dialogue 5 + 5
This Declaration reaffirms the appreciation of the 5+5 Dialogue countries for the role played by His Majesty the King, May God Assist Him, in His capacity as Chairman of the Al Quds Committee for the preservation of the specific aspect, the spiritual dimension and the particular identity of the Al Quds city.
They also welcomed the Royal initiative relating to the signing of the Al Quds Call with Pope Francis, on March 30, 2019, which confirms the commitment and leadership of His Majesty the King, May God Assist Hil, to the preservation of the status, identity and unique nature of the holy city.
The Declaration also underlines Morocco's important contribution to the search for a comprehensive and lasting political solution to the Libyan crisis, based on the Skhirat Agreement of December 2015. It also underlines the involvement of the countries of the Maghreb region which constitutes an essential guarantee for the success of political efforts to resolve this crisis. In this regard, the 5+5 countries welcome the positive result of the talks recently held between the Libyan parties, under the aegis of the United Nations, in Bouznika.
On the Sahel, the Declaration supported Morocco's call for the need to support the stability, security, resilience and sustainable development of countries in the region. It endorsed Morocco's vision of the interdependence between the Euro-Mediterranean region and that of the Sahel.
The Declaration encourages the mobilization of the 5+5 countries for their action in favor of the stability and security of Mali as well as a peaceful political transition for the benefit of the Malian people, echoing the important initiatives taken by Morocco in this area.
The Declaration reiterates the appreciation of the Dialogue countries for Morocco's initiative to hold the 8th Marrakech Conference on Migration and Development, in March 2020, which resulted in the adoption of a Declaration and a Roadmap that laid the bases for effective and solidarity-based cooperation on the various dimensions of migration. This Declaration reaffirms the support of the Dialogue countries for Morocco's vision regarding the need to promote a comprehensive and balanced approach based on the principles of shared responsibility and solidarity to tackle the migration issue. They undertake to ensure fair and equitable treatment of migrants settled in host countries and to guarantee respect for their legitimate rights. In addition, the countries of the 5+5 Dialogue support Morocco's continental leadership on this issue, which was manifested by the establishment in Rabat of the African Migration Observatory.
They also reaffirmed their appreciation for the leadership and co-chairmanship of Morocco of the GCTF (Global Counterterrorism Forum), while welcoming the considerable efforts made at the continental and regional levels by Morocco to fight terrorism as part of a cooperation and solidarity-based approach, as evidenced by the recent signing by Morocco and the UN of an Agreement establishing a UNOCT Program Office for counter-terrorism and training in Africa.
The 5+5 countries supported the Moroccan proposal to consider strong and structured cooperation at the health level given the scale of the challenges caused by the COVID pandemic. The proposal calls for close cooperation between the authorities of 5+5 countries to ensure universal and equitable access to equipment, treatment and vaccines as part of a fundamentally humanistic approach.
Faced with the scale of the consequences of the economic and social crisis caused by Covid-19, the 5+5 countries have supported the Moroccan proposal to strengthen the socio-economic resilience of the countries of the region and promote the development of investments and trade to create the conditions for an inclusive and mutually beneficial economic recovery.