DAKAR, Senegal (AP) -- The landlocked countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have endorsed an initiative by Morocco to give them access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The foreign ministers of the three military-ruled West African nations shared their countries positions during a meeting Monday with King Mohammed VI in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, according to a ministry statement.

The three-nation block of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced last year that they were leaving the regional bloc known as ECOWAS. They then created their own security partnership, known as the Alliance of Sahel States, severed military ties with longstanding Western partners such as U.S. and France, and turned to Russia for military support.

In December 2023, Morocco announced a trade initiative to facilitate Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger's access to the Atlantic Ocean using Moroccan ports after ECOWAS imposed trade restrictions on the the three junta-led countries.

The foreign ministers of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger reaffirmed their "full support for and commitment to accelerating its implementation," during the royal meeting, the ministry said.

The meeting comes at a time of growing tensions between Morocco's regional rival Algeria and the Sahel states.

Last month, Algeria says it shot down a Malian drone when it crossed into its air space near the border town of Tin Zaouatine. Mali denied the drone crossed the border.