Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Nasser Bourita, met, Wednesday by video conference, with the Secretary General of the Gulf Arab States Cooperation Council (GCC), Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf.
During their discussions, the Moroccan minister expressed thanks and consideration of Morocco to the GCC and the Gulf brotherly countries for their solidarity and constant support for the Kingdom, as expressed in the final statement that sanctioned the work of the 42nd Session of the Supreme Council of the GCC, held last December 14 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which reaffirmed the constant positions of the Council in favour of the Moroccan Sahara and its unwavering support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.
For his part, the Secretary General of the GCC reiterated the Council’s consistent position in favour of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and its territorial unity, considering that no solution to this artificial regional conflict is conceivable outside the framework of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco and its territorial integrity.
Mr. Al-Hajraf also hailed the Kingdom’s constant show of solidarity with the GCC countries and their national causes, as well as the distinguished level of partnership relations between the two parties, stressing the GCC’s firm determination to further consolidate these relations.
As for the strengthening of the partnership between the two parties, Mr. Bourita stressed the readiness of the Kingdom to continue to work with the GCC General Secretariat and the Gulf countries to lay the foundations for a new stage of qualitative cooperation.
This new cooperative platform will help preserve a renewed partnership framework to consolidate political, economic, trade and human relations for the materialisation of the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI contained in the Royal Address before the Morocco-Gulf Countries Summit, on April 20, 2016 in Riyadh.
The Minister welcomed the common denominators and constant solidarity shared by Morocco and the GCC countries, reiterating in this regard the condemnation by the Kingdom of Morocco, King, government and people, of the continued attacks by the Houthi militias and the parties supporting them against civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
He further reiterated Morocco’s rejection and condemnation of all forms of blatant Iranian meddling in the internal affairs of the Gulf countries, especially in the brotherly Kingdom of Bahrain, recalling that Morocco, as stressed by the King during the Morocco-Gulf Countries’ Summit in Riyadh, “has always considered that the security and stability of the Gulf countries are inseparable from the security of Morocco,” in view of their shared destiny and the convergence of views on various issues of common interest.
The statement said that Mr. Bourita has sent an invitation to the Secretary General of the GCC to make a working visit to Morocco, the date of which will be set later.
HA/fss/abj/APA