Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reiterated its condemnation of Iran’s interference in Morocco’s internal affairs during the opening of the fifth session of the joint UAE-Morocco Committee.
The symposium, attended by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita, opened on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.
Emirates News Agency quoted Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, saying that the meeting coincides with “an unprecedented state of instability and spiraling violence across several Arab countries on the back of the growing danger of fanatic groups.”
Al Nahyan then expressed the UAE’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara, adding that the UAE backs all measures undertaken by Morocco “to address any threats to its territorial integrity.”
Commenting on Morocco’s decision to cut ties with Iran, the Emirati official said that his country denounces “all foreign interferences in the internal affairs of Arab countries, primarily Iran’s meddling into the region, and reiterate UAE’s support for all measures taken by Morocco in this concern over the past period.”
The UAE was among the first Gulf countries to support Morocco’s decision to cut ties with Iran on May 1.
Morocco has accused Iran of interfering in the country’s domestic affairs, and has blamed Iranian ally Hezbollah of delivering heavy military equipment to and training members of the Polisario Front.
The fifth session of the joint committee is co-chaired by Al-Nahyan and Bourita. The session is held at the instructions of King Mohammed VI and Al-Nahyan’s brother Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
The session will feature political consultations between the two countries, trade talks, and the elaboration of recommendations and draft laws to be submitted to the joint committee.
The UAE state-owned news agency reported on Tuesday that non-oil trade exchange between the countries rose from USD 464 million in 2013 to USD 524 million in 2017. The source added that trade grew 9 percent from 2016 to 2017, “threefold of its equivalent over the past five years,” according to the Emirati Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He also commended the “distinguished” bonds between the two countries, emphasizing that the ties are at “their best.”
