Mohammed VI stresses strong bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Morocco
The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, sent a letter to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and President of the Saudi Council of Ministers, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, focusing on the strong bilateral relations between the two countries and the two brotherly peoples with the aim of strengthening and consolidating them in various fields.
The official Saudi news agency SPA and the Moroccan news agency MAP reported on this official message launched by the Alawi monarch with the intention of strengthening ties between the two nations, which are allies.
According to SPA, the message was delivered to the Saudi Minister of State and member of the Council of Ministers, Khaled bin Abderrahman al-Issa, who received it on behalf of Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud during a meeting held on Sunday in Riyadh with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Resident Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and the Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa.
The meeting held in the Saudi capital served to review the relations developed between the two countries and strengthen them in various sectors, as well as to review international current affairs and analyse issues of common interest.
The letter sent by the King of Morocco served to offer more support to the Saudi kingdom and to improve mutual ties in various fields.
One of the main areas of cooperation between the two countries is economic, given that the two countries have signed many trade and investment agreements. As of 2022, the volume of bilateral trade between Morocco and Saudi Arabia reached $1.7 billion, as reported by various media outlets such as Morocco World News.
The two kingdoms have also signed agreements over the years on energy matters, remembering that the Saudi kingdom is a major world power in the oil and gas trade and that the North African country is firmly developing its own gas market thanks to the latest deposits discovered on national territory, which could give the Moroccan kingdom great room for manoeuvre when it comes to having a large source of its own consumption and for foreign trade as well. It should also be recalled that in 2022 the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the peaceful use of atomic energy.
Another important area in which the two countries work closely together is security and the fight against extremism. Morocco is a major partner of the West in North Africa in containing jihadism and tackling criminal organisations. Major countries such as the United States count the North African country as a major ally and work together in military rehearsals and exercises aimed at promoting security in regions of high conflict such as the Sahel and the Middle East, which are plagued by terrorist and criminal activity. A good example of this is the African Lion manoeuvres, led by the United States and Morocco and involving dozens of African and European countries.
As Morocco World News also recalled, in January this year, the Saudi Vice-President for State Security, Abdullah Fahad Salih al-Owais, was received in Rabat by the head of Morocco's Directorate General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance (DGSN-DGST), Abdellatif Hammouchi, which shows the contacts at the highest level in the spheres of defence and security between the two countries. On that occasion, the two organisations signed an agreement aimed at reinforcing the fight against terrorism.