King Mohammed VI's visit to Abu Dhabi reaffirms the multidimensional strategic partnership between Morocco and the UAE

The Moroccan Ministry of the Royal Court, Protocol and Chancellery announced that "King Mohammed VI is paying an official visit to the State of the United Arab Emirates on Monday, 4 December, at the invitation of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed al-Nahyan. The visit of the Moroccan sovereign comes to confirm the determination of Rabat and Abu Dhabi to move always towards the strengthening and diversification of their partnership, based on the values of true brotherhood, mutual respect and mutual esteem". 

This historic royal visit is the first of its kind by King Mohammed VI following the election by the Supreme Federal Council of the State on 14 May 2022 of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and will not fail to give a strong boost to the partnership relations that unite the two countries and which are marked by active fraternity and unwavering solidarity.

In this regard, the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of the United Arab Emirates are combining their efforts to maintain their multidimensional, solid and lasting strategic relations, which are based on a strong political will, often expressed by the Heads of State of the two countries, to turn this unusual partnership into a model to be followed. 

The active solidarity between the two countries was evident in the aftermath of the violent earthquake that struck several provinces in Morocco on 8 September. The United Arab Emirates immediately dispatched a search and rescue team to help save the victims, a noble humanitarian action that embodies the depth of the immutable bonds of fraternity that unite the two heads of state and peoples. 

Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, political relations between Morocco and the UAE have always been marked by continuous consultation and convergence of views between the two states and mutual support in regional and international fora.

Rabat and Abu Dhabi constantly strive to coordinate their respective positions on regional and international affairs and adopt a moderate and balanced foreign policy, underpinned by the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, respect for national sovereignty and international legality, and the fight against all forms of extremism and terrorism. 

The policies adopted by the respective governments have, according to many observers, enabled both countries to position themselves as major players in their regional environment; as well as to distinguish themselves on the international scene.

The multidimensional cooperation between the two brotherly countries, the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of the United Arab Emirates, will be considerably strengthened on the occasion of King Mohammed VI's official visit on Monday, by giving a strong dynamic to the Moroccan-Emirati strategic partnership in the different aspects of bilateral cooperation. 

In this regard, Morocco reiterated its "firm and constant" support for the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over the Tunb al-Kubra, Tunb al-Sughra and Abu Musa islands, through its constant position, reaffirmed last October before the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly. 

In the same cooperative context, the Kingdom of Morocco condemned in January 2022 the "odious" attack perpetrated by the Shiite Houthi militia, linked to Iran and fighting in the war in Yemen, against the Musaffah region and Abu Dhabi airport in the United Arab Emirates.

For its part, the UAE continues to reaffirm its constant support for Morocco and its territorial integrity, one and indivisible, as demonstrated in particular by the UAE's statement following the vote by the members of the UN Security Council on Resolution 2703 extending MINURSO's mandate for one year. 

It should be recalled that the UAE had inaugurated, along the same lines, on 4 November 2020, a UAE Consulate General in the city of Laayoune, as a form of recognition of the Moroccan ownership of Western Sahara.