Rabat – Morocco’s King Mohammed VI met on Wednesday with Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba at the presidential palace in Libreville, the Gabonese capital.
The meeting included, at a later stage, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, Minister Delegate to the Gabonese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yolande Nyonda, and Gabon’s Secretary General of the Presidency, Jean-Yves Teale.
According to an official statement, the meeting was an opportunity to highlight the importance of the “deep, rich, and solidly rooted relations between Morocco and Gabon,” as well as the “strong bonds of brotherhood and solidarity between the two nations.”
During the meeting, King Mohammed VI and the Gabonese president reviewed the state of the bilateral partnership between their two countries in all fields. In particular, King Mohammed VI made a donation of 2,000 tons of fertilizers to Gabonese farmers.
The official statement explains that the donation is an act of solidarity with the Central African nation that coincides with rising concerns about food security and the crisis in the fertilizer supply chain.
Fertilizers donated to Gabonese farmers are adapted to the needs of soils and crops cultivated in the region, notes the statement.
Morocco and Gabon share long-standing diplomatic relations that span over 50 years. In 2020, Gabon cemented its support of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara region by opening a general consulate in the southern Moroccan city of Laayoune.
Gabon and Morocco are also large trade partners. Moroccan exports to Gabon amounted to over MAD 537 million ($52 million) in 2020, according to data from Trading Economics.
In 2018, Gabonese President Ali Bongo, at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, received medical treatment in Morocco.
Read Also: Gabon Welcomes Spain’s New Western Sahara Position
