"Two challenges are particularly serious: the temptation to balkanize national entities and the provision of support to separatist movements and fictitious entities which are irrelevant in today's world of strong blocs and coalitions," the monarch said in a speech to participants in the 2nd EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon.

    "The instability resulting from such a situation represents a breeding ground for trafficking in arms, drugs and human beings, and for the establishment of terrorist networks which threaten stability in the entire region," the king said in the speech that was read out on his behalf by Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi.

    To face this situation, he called on “all partners” to address the threat looming over the sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity of African countries. “Preserving national unity and promoting regional integration in secure, stable environments are essential to enhance solidarity, reduce tensions and overcome disputes.”

    “Achieving such lofty goals requires commitment to good neighborliness, mutual respect, and avoiding all acts that are likely to offend national sentiment,” the monarch explained.

    King Mohammed VI also spoke about the new regional and international challenges Africa is currently facing, such as the threat of terrorism, the disruptions caused by globalization and the complexities of migration. However, most African countries are doing all they can, using endogenous means to implement reforms and rise to the challenges confronting them, he added. These reforms, according to the monarch, “are a strong signal from Africa to its partners to let them know that Africa is on the move, that it is determined to embrace change, and that it seeks to play its full-fledged role in the new world balance.”

    In addition to exerting these efforts, Africa, he noted, has to face challenges relating to poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, pandemics and the environment. “It also suffers from the consequences of several armed conflicts and hotbeds of tension in Africa which severely undermine its capabilities and divert its resources away from development targets.”

    King Mohammed VI then deemed it “our duty to support African countries in the area of conflict prevention, management and resolution, and to assist them in reconstruction efforts.”

    The summit is attended by heads of state and government and representatives from around 80 EU and African nations.

    On the eve of the summit, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said that the gathering will approve a strategy to benefit both continents and an action plan "with concrete measures."

    The two-day summit will discuss diverse issues, including peace and security, human rights, development and trade, climate change and migration. It is taking place seven years after the first meeting of heads of state and government from the European Union and Africa, in Cairo.