The 36th Asilah International Cultural Moussem opened its doors on Friday, 8 August 2014. Organised by the Asilah Forum Foundation, this Moussem began its proceedings with the inaugural session of a colloquium under the theme "The Nation State and Regional Unions in the countries of the South". The proceedings of this inaugural session were marked by the message addressed by the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to the participants of this colloquium. According to the Bahraini Sovereign, the theme of this colloquium is currently at the heart of the intellectual and political interests of elites and decision-makers in the countries of the North and those of the South alike. He continued that regional groupings are not an easy choice for member countries, because they must take into consideration common points with a view to "making them a driving force for development and a catalyst for the realisation of development", the Bahraini Sovereign was keen to specify. Taking place within the framework of the 29th Session of the Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad Summer University, this colloquium aimed to focus on the efforts undertaken for the creation of regional unions in the countries of the South, which have either resulted in a certain degree of success or have been doomed to failure. According to Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, Senegalese president of the Pan-African Institute for Strategies (IPS), several regional groupings have attempted to establish themselves in Africa, such as the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), which has not been able to take flight so far because of the divergences between member countries. "Africa must go beyond these regional unions and work, all together, for the establishment of a political, economic, and monetary unity," he affirmed. Speaking on this occasion, Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, specified that the development of regional groupings cannot take place if they include entities that do not fulfil the political conditions of a nation state. "Their progression towards active regional groupings cannot be possible if they count among them fictitious, illegal entities, without any legal foundation whatsoever," he affirmed. After other countries such as Mexico and Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain is the guest of honour of this 36th Moussem, which continues until 22 August. "This edition takes on a special character, because the presence of the brotherly Kingdom of Bahrain, guest of honour of this festival, gives it even more prestige and brilliance and demonstrates the depth of the ties of fraternity that unite the two countries," stressed Mohamed Benaïssa, secretary general of the Asilah Forum Foundation.