Moroccan King, Gabonese President Discuss Bilateral Ties

Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Gabon's President during the handing over of a donation of fertilizers from Morocco to farmers. (MAP)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Gabon's President during the handing over of a donation of fertilizers from Morocco to farmers. (MAP)
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Moroccan King, Gabonese President Discuss Bilateral Ties

Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Gabon's President during the handing over of a donation of fertilizers from Morocco to farmers. (MAP)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Gabon's President during the handing over of a donation of fertilizers from Morocco to farmers. (MAP)

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has started an African tour that includes Gabon.

The King is expected to visit Senegal on Monday where he would meet President Macky Sall, according to Asharq Al-Awsat sources.

King Mohammed VI held talks on Wednesday with Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba at the Presidential Palace in Libreville.

The Maghreb Arabe Press reported that 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.”

Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Yolande Nyonda, Minister Delegate at the Gabonese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Jean-Yves Teale, Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic of Gabon, later joined the meeting.

King Mohammed and Ondimba reviewed bilateral partnerships in all fields.

the King also supervised the handing over of a donation of 2,000 tons of fertilizers, in the presence of Ondimba.

This operation will be followed by a structural action aimed at ensuring that farmers in Gabon have access to quality fertilizers that are affordable and specifically adapted to the needs of soils and crops in the region, according to MAP.

Nyonda said that the Moroccan fertilizers could “alleviate the burdens on Gabonese farmers” as she expressed gratitude for the initiative.

The minister added that the Gabonese government is focused on a self-sufficiency program and the reduction of food imports. It relies heavily on Morocco’s support which is among the biggest fertilizer producers in Africa.

Gabon is an African country on the equator and is rich in its arable lands but faces some challenges in developing the farming sector.

The President of Gabon visited Morocco in 2010 upon the death of his father.

In 2018, Bongo received medical treatment in Morocco at the instruction of the Moroccan King. In 2021, he returned to Morocco on a “friendship and work” visit.



Blinken Aims to 'Cross Finish Line' on Gaza Ceasefire, Hostages Deal

A wounded Palestinian boy is carried to Al Aqsa Hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Bureije refugee camp in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 05 January 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A wounded Palestinian boy is carried to Al Aqsa Hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Bureije refugee camp in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 05 January 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
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Blinken Aims to 'Cross Finish Line' on Gaza Ceasefire, Hostages Deal

A wounded Palestinian boy is carried to Al Aqsa Hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Bureije refugee camp in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 05 January 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A wounded Palestinian boy is carried to Al Aqsa Hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Bureije refugee camp in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 05 January 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Washington wanted to see a ceasefire deal in Gaza concluded and the hostages brought out in the next two weeks.
A renewed push is under way to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas and return Israeli hostages before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
"We very much want to bring this over the finish line in the next two weeks, the time we have remaining," Blinken told a press conference in South Korea, when asked whether a ceasefire deal was close.