New York: Morocco Stresses that Management of Straits is a Responsibility, Not Ownership, Calls for Code of Conduct for Littoral States

New York – Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, stated on Thursday during a United Nations Security Council Arria-formula meeting that Morocco views the management of straits as a responsibility rather than a form of ownership, calling for an initiative to develop a code of conduct for states bordering these maritime passages.

Speaking at the meeting, organized by Bahrain under the theme “Safe Seas, Shared Security: Safeguarding Freedom of Navigation in an Evolving Security Environment,” Bourita emphasized that Morocco is not merely a coastal state, but also a country that assumes direct responsibility for the management and security of the Strait of Gibraltar, one of the world’s most important maritime routes.

In this regard, Bourita noted that around 100,000 vessels transit through the strait every year, equivalent to some 300 ships per day, or one vessel every five minutes.

Traffic through the Strait of Gibraltar is five times greater than that of the Suez Canal, eleven times higher than that of the Panama Canal, and nearly three times more intense than traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, he added.

The minister stressed that Morocco does not regard its geographical position as a privilege or a tool for pressure and coercion, but rather as an international responsibility and a lever for promoting international cooperation, stability and development.

In this context, Bourita announced Morocco’s call for a reflection process aimed at developing an international code of conduct in support of freedom of navigation, based on the principle that international maritime routes must remain open, secure and predictable spaces.

To that end, he proposed that Morocco hosts, in coordination with the Kingdom of Bahrain, an international forum designed to strengthen adherence to the rules of international law, encourage the exchange of best practices, and put an end to polarization between those who claim ownership of these strategic passages and those who seek to exploit them for purposes of coercion and blackmail.

The Foreign minister also stressed that seas and oceans constitute a vital global infrastructure which, despite its critical importance, remains fragile, making it vulnerable to greed and malicious designs.