Morocco's accession to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) should not be interpreted as an acknowledgement of a situation, fact or entity that threatens its territorial integrity and national unity, said, Sunday in Niamey, minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita.

Morocco has strongly adhered to the exercise of establishing the AfCFTA, but its signature and ratification of this agreement cannot be interpreted as an acknowledgement of a situation, fact or entity that does not recognize and threatens its territorial integrity and national unity," Bourita told reporters at the end of the 12th extraordinary Summit of the African Union during which he represented HM King Mohammed VI. "Morocco acts according to a clear doctrine and principles when it comes to making the difference between membership of an organization and the recognition of entities that could be part of it but that Morocco does not recognize," he added. In this particular exercise, "the aberration is obvious," the minister pointed out, wondering how an entity that has no territory could belong to a free trade area? "If this entity is going to trade from Tindouf, it will be internal trade in another African Union country, Algeria," Bourita added, wondering "with what currency will this entity do it? If this trade will take place, it will be with the Algerian currency". Also, the minister went on, "if the goods have to go through customs, it will be Algeria's, so that's the aberration that Morocco wanted to raise". According to Bourita, this situation is all the more "absurd" since the cornerstone of the AfCFTA are the regional economic communities. "Look among the members of the African Union, which is the entity that does not belong to any regional economic community, and you will understand the aberration," Bourita concluded.