Western Mediterranean countries called for further cooperation aiming for successful, innovative and responsible measures that are mutually beneficial in the areas of migration and movement, according to the declaration of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the “5+5” Dialogue on Migration in the Western Mediterranean.
The two-day conference held in Marrakesh concluded on Monday with the adoption of a Consensual Declaration with practical provisions.
The foreign ministers of Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Spain, France, Italy, Malta and Portugal reiterated their common will to continue working for a comprehensive, consultative and balanced approach to dialogue in addressing the problem of migration, based on shared responsibility and solidarity.
The Declaration covered five broad lines namely: cooperation in the field of migration and development, urging the facilitation of legal migration, the establishment of links between migration and development, the fight against illegal immigration and the integration policy of legal migrants.
The ministers stressed the need to establish a comprehensive and integrated national policy according to an ambitious and realistic approach.
They called for encouraging the creation of strong cooperation between national research centers, and training on migrations to better understand migration and change negative perceptions about it.
The ministers highlighted the importance of facilitating visa issuance, expressing their commitment to intensify dialogue and cooperation in order to simplify its procedures.
The ministers urged relevant national departments to exchange information about possible labor market opportunities and conclude bilateral agreements on labor migration.
They reaffirmed their will to address the deep issues of migration between countries of origin, transit and reception, in accordance with a spirit of fairness, shared responsibility and active solidarity.
They also stressed the importance of working to benefit the sustainable development of countries of origin and transit, given their impact on migrations.
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita recalled that even if migration is a matter of sovereign national policies, coordination and cooperation are a necessity for a good management of this phenomenon.
The conference was attended by ministers and secretaries of state and various partners, including the European Union, the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
The conference showed the need for an effective migration management, Bourita added, lauding Morocco for its practical guidance to this ministerial conference.
The Western Mediterranean Forum, or 5+5 Dialogue, was officially launched in Italy's Rome in 1990 as an informal sub-regional forum of countries geographically situated on the western rim of the Euro-Mediterranean littoral.
