ECOWAS Authority Directs Commission to Reflect on the Implications of Morocco’s Request for Membership; To Report Findings At 52nd Ordinary Session
The 51st Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government has directed the ECOWAS Commission to further reflect on the implications of the request of the Kingdom of Morocco for ECOWAS membership considering the provisions of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty and to submit the conclusions at the 52nd Ordinary Session of the Authority in December this year.
The Authority indicated that it supports in principle the granting of membership to the Kingdom of Morocco having noted the strong and multidimensional ties it has with Member States.
According to a Foreign Ministry release, this was contained in the Final Communique at the end of the 51st Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held at the Farmington Hotel in lower Margibi County on Sunday, June 4, 2017.
The Authority considered the request for membership to ECOWAS from the Kingdom of Morocco, the application for observer status from the Republic of Tunisia as well as the request for Associate Membership from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
Regarding Mauritania, the Authority noted that pursuant to the directives of the Yamoussoukro Summit held on March 29, 2014, the President of the Commission provided an update on the initialing of the Association Agreement between ECOWAS and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in Nouachott on May 5, 2017.
Taking note of the initialing, the Summit called on Member States to sign the Association Agreement and directed Mauritania, being a former member of ECOWAS, should speed up the process for full membership to be able to enjoy all the rights and benefits of a Member State.
For Tunisia, the Authority directed that the country be granted an observer status to ECOWAS, but directs the Commission to ensure that all necessary rules and procedures governing the granting of observer status to Community Institutions are in place. It directed the Commission to present this matter at its next Summit in Lome, Togo.
The Authority decided to invite the King of the Kingdom of Morocco, the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and the President of the Republic of Tunisia to the 52nd Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government scheduled for Lomé, Togo in December 2017.
