The National.ae
Awad Mustafa
DUBAI // King Mohamed VI of Morocco will visit the UAE on Monday, his embassy in Abu Dhabi has announced.
The king will be accompanied by his brother, Prince Rachid, and a high-level delegation including four royal counsellors and heads of eight government departments representing foreign affairs, finance, Islamic affairs, agriculture, transport, health, energy and the Moroccan Armed Forces.
The delegation hopes to strengthen strategic and economic ties between the UAE and Morocco during their two-day visit, and will present a selection of projects for funding in the kingdom.
Currently in Saudi Arabia, the King will travel on to Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan after stopping in the UAE.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, all members of the GCC, have contributed substantial funding to development projects in Morocco in the past. The grants are the result of a strategic partnership established in 2011 between the North African kingdom and the GCC.
“The contribution of these states amounted to US$1 billion per year over the period 2012-2016. That is a total of $5bn,” the embassy noted in its statement regarding the visit.
“These four GCC countries have always had strong ties with the North African Kingdom. Mohamed VI’s official visit is intended to strengthen these ties [ …] and to enhance the cooperation between Morocco and the four GCC countries on many levels.”
In Jordan, the king will visit a Moroccan military field hospital set up in the region of Zaatari to help Syrian refugees.
amustafa@thenational.ae
.
