King Mohammed VI has stressed the importance Morocco grants to its relations with Arab Gulf countries, saying their security and stability are part of the North African Kingdom’s security.
“What hurts you hurts us, and what affects us affects you”, said the Moroccan Sovereign in the address he made Wednesday in Riyadh at the 1st Morocco-GCC Summit, a historical event showing the special bonds and strategic ties existing between Rabat and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council made of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
“To defend our security is not only a shared obligation, but it is also a collective, indivisible one”, stressed the sovereign, noting that Morocco has stood up with GCC countries against all threats in the region.
He recalled in this regard Morocco’s participation in the First Gulf War, the operation in Yemen to restore legitimacy and the ongoing security and intelligence cooperation.
“We are facing conspiracies which seek to undermine our collective security”, added King Mohammed VI, saying conspirators endeavor to destabilize the few countries which have managed to safeguard their security, stability and political systems.
“We are all facing the same perils, the same threats, though their origins and manifestations may differ”, stressed the Monarch, warning that the hostile plots which “seek to undermine our stability are continuing and will not stop”.
After having destabilized and destroyed several countries in the eastern part of the Arab world, the plotters are now focusing on the western part and the “most recent of these conspiracies has been hatched against the territorial integrity of your second home, Morocco”, said King Mohammed VI, making reference to recent hostile remarks made by UN SG Ban Ki-moon on the Moroccan Sahara.
The Morocco-GCC Summit is being held at a difficult time, added the Sovereign, noting that the Arab region is being rocked by attempts to change regimes and divide states, as is in Syria, Iraq and Libya.
After the destruction, chaos and human tragedies caused by the Arab Spring, “now we are witnessing a calamitous autumn, with attempts to lay hands on what remains of Arab countries’ resources and spoil successful experiences, like that of Morocco, by undermining its outstanding national model”, said King Mohammed VI.
Though it remains committed to its strategic relations with its allies, Morocco has, in recent months, sought to diversify its partnerships at political, strategic and economic levels, added the Sovereign, noting that the Morocco-GCC summit is not targeting any party in particular, least of all our partners. It is a natural and logical initiative seeking to defend common interests and shared strategic goals for a common brighter future.
