HM King Mohammed VI sent a message to participants in the symposium "Sheikh Zayed and his role in building relations between the United Arab Emirates and Morocco", which opened on Tuesday in Rabat.
Here follows the full text of the royal message, which was read by HRH Prince Moulay Rachid at the royal Academy of the kingdom of Morocco:
"Praise be to God,
May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to send you a message at the opening of this Symposium, which is being held under my patronage and which has been convened by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in collaboration with the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. This Symposium has been organized to mark the centenary of the birth of His late Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding President of our sister nation, the United Arab Emirates.
I should like to say how much I appreciate this initiative to commemorate this great Arab leader.
Through his wisdom and clear-sightedness, Sheikh Zayed contributed to consolidating not only Moroccan-Emirati brotherly bonds, but also unity and solidarity between Arab countries.
The two sister nations - the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates - have every reason to celebrate this event. Indeed, the relations between the two nations are steeped in history. The foundations of this longstanding relationship were laid by my revered father, His Majesty King Hassan II - may he rest in peace - and His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan - may God bless his soul.
My venerable father once said that whenever he wanted to describe relations between the Moroccan people and the people of the UAE, he could not find in the dictionary a more fitting description than that of brotherly, most cordial relations. He went on to say that the two peoples were like twins, separated only by geography.
Morocco, its King and people have the highest regard for this illustrious leader and his esteemed royal family, whose members have remained ever faithful to the brotherly bonds of loyalty uniting them to my family as well as to the Kingdom of Morocco.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Guided by a firm belief in a common destiny and the need for solidarity between Arab countries, the leaders of the two nations worked with dedication and goodwill to provide the conditions for the promotion of bilateral and joint Arab action in order to rise to the challenges facing our peoples.
His Highness Sheikh Zayed - may he rest in peace - built the United Arab Emirates. Thanks to the development and prosperity which ensued, he turned the concept of unity from a mere dream into reality.
He also took an active part in the creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
At the same time, my revered father, His Majesty King Hassan II - may God bless his soul - was seeking to build the Maghreb Union because it was a strategic choice and a popular demand. The aim was to achieve comprehensive development, integration and complementarity.
This attests to the wisdom and foresight which characterized the two leaders, who also shared a firm belief in unity, legitimacy, dialogue and commitment to upholding just Arab and Islamic causes.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Continuing our joint action today to promote these exemplary relations is the best way to show loyalty to the special relationship that existed between Sheikh Zayed and Hassan II - may God bless their souls.
I should like to take this opportunity to reiterate to my esteemed brother, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and to my dear brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, my strong desire to remain committed to the same course of action, for the mutual benefit of our two peoples.
Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh."
MAP 27 November 2018
