Morocco supports “serious, efficient and joint actions” for the total elimination of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) around the world, the kingdom’s top envoy in South Africa has said.Speaking during an African regional seminar on the universalisation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Pretoria, Moroccan ambassador Youssef Amrani said his country is “firmly committed to the total elimination of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction”, noting that the recent resurgence of the nuclear threat was “a challenge that requires serious, efficient and joint actions.” 

“Morocco reaffirms its unwavering support for multilateral initiatives aimed at combating the arms race, promoting the strengthening of disarmament agreements aimed at limiting weapons of mass destruction, as well as promoting the efforts of the international community to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction,” Amrani said.

The ambassador’s comments come against the backdrop of heightened global tensions over the threat of a nuclear war in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Ambassador Amrani said Morocco was committed to the complete general and irreversible disarmament, stressing that multilateralism and regional and international cooperation remained the key to providing effective responses to the global threats of proliferation of WMDs.

He stressed that, as a promoter and provider of international peace and security, Morocco is convinced that global peace and stability can only be achieved on the basis of peaceful coexistence, constructive and sincere dialogue on the basis of mutual respect.

He said Morocco considered the existence of WMDs as a permanent threat with devastating risks that have “a continuous impact on the future of the world and future generations.”

He noted that the kingdom remained convinced that nuclear weapons and WMDs do not guarantee effective peace and security at the regional and international levels.