US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed on Monday the “gratitude” of the United States to HM King Mohammed VI for His “leadership and long-standing contribution” to the promotion of regional peace and stability, including in the Middle East, while praising the Kingdom’s “stabilizing role” in the region and Africa.

“The Secretary expressed his gratitude for the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI and his long-standing contribution to promoting regional peace and stability, including his efforts to promote a secure and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians,” the State Department spokesman said in a statement issued after talks in Washington between the head of US diplomacy and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Living Abroad, Nasser Bourita.

During the meeting, the two officials “discussed efforts to advance regional peace and security, reflecting Morocco’s stabilizing role in the face of a series of challenges in the Middle East and Africa,” the US diplomatic spokesman added.

“They discussed shared concerns about the continuing violence in Israel and the West Bank and ongoing efforts to defuse tensions,” the statement said.

Bourita’s visit to Washington was marked by a series of meetings with senior US officials at both the State Department and the White House. It served as an opportunity to review ways to further consolidate the strategic partnership between the United States and Morocco and to exchange on international and regional issues of common interest.

Read Also: US reaffirms its support to Moroccan autonomy plan as “serious, credible and realistic” (Blinken)

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The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, reaffirmed, Monday, his country’s support to the Moroccan autonomy plan to definitively close the regional conflict around the Sahara, noting that the United States “continues” to consider this plan as “serious, credible and realistic“.

“The Secretary noted that the United States continues to consider Morocco’s autonomy plan as serious, credible, and realistic,” said the State Department spokesman in a statement issued after the talks held in Washington between the head of American diplomacy and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, Nasser Bourita.

During their talks, the statement said, the Secretary of State and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad “affirmed their full support for the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura, in promoting a lasting and dignified political solution” to this regional conflict.

Bourita is on a working visit to Washington as part of ongoing consultations to consolidate the strategic partnership between Morocco and the United States and to consult on various regional and international issues.

Read Also: Antony Blinken: “Morocco is an important force for stability, peace, progress and moderation”

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The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, discussed, Monday in Washington, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, Nasser Bourita, the “historic, solid and long-term partnership” between the United States and Morocco, stressing that the kingdom is an “important force for stability, peace, progress, and moderation.”

Blinken also noted Morocco’s “leadership” in the field of establishing regional peace and stability through the resumption of relations with Israel, as well as in the issues of climate change and renewable energy, stressing the close bilateral cooperation in various areas of common interest.

Regarding military cooperation between the two countries, the American official mentioned the upcoming organization by Morocco of the joint military exercise “African lion maneuvers.”

During this meeting, which is part of the regular political consultations between the two parties on the various aspects of the strategic partnership, Bourita highlighted the “strong and historic friendship” that unites the two countries, noting that this partnership “has never been as strong as it is today.

“His Majesty King Mohammed VI appreciates this partnership which is based on our common commitments to peace, stability, and prosperity,” Bourita said.

The partnership between Rabat and Washington, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and US President Joe Biden, has undergone in recent years a significant and constant development in all areas.

The minister stressed that “our discussions have always been fruitful and constructive,” explaining that the partnership between Morocco and the United States contributes to “serving our two peoples as well as peace and stability in the world.

Bourita’s visit to Washington, during which meetings were held with senior US officials at the State Department and the White House, was an opportunity to review ways to strengthen the strategic partnership and discuss international and regional issues of common interest, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.

This visit also underlines the dynamics of regular consultations between Morocco and the United States, which have intensified considerably over the past two years, with successive visits by senior American officials to the Kingdom.

Read Also: Human rights: For the third year, US State Department report on Morocco includes its Sahara

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The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, congratulated Morocco on Saturday’s qualification of the national soccer team for the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, emphasizing that Africa is making history.

On the eve of the US-Africa 2022 leaders’ summit (scheduled for next week in Washington, NDRL), I congratulate the Atlas Lions on their victory today,” becoming the first African and Arab team to reach the World Cup semifinals, wrote the head of American diplomacy on his Twitter account, accompanied by a Moroccan flag.

He also stated that Africa is making history both on and off the field.

Walid Regragui’s team advanced to the semifinals of the football glory by defeating Portugal 1-0 on Saturday at al-Thumama stadium.

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According to two sources briefed on the matter, Secretary of State Tony Blinken apologized to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed last month for the US response to the Houthi strikes against the UAE in January.

What’s at stake: The Emiratis were unhappy by what they viewed as a weak and tardy response from the United States in the aftermath of the assaults, and the Biden administration was similarly disappointed by the Emirati response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Blinken’s apology went a long way toward easing tensions.

• According to the two sources, at his meeting with MBZ in Morocco, Blinken acknowledged that the Biden administration delayed too long to respond to the attacks and apologized.

What they’re saying is as follows: A senior State Department official declined to comment on Blinken’s private talk, but did not rule out the possibility.

• “The Secretary made clear that we deeply value our partnership with the UAE and that we will continue to stand by our partners in the face of common threats,” the senior State Department official said.

• Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to Washington, told Axios last month that the Blinken-MBZ meeting helped “move the relationship between the UAE and the U.S. back on the right track.”

In February, when CENTCOM commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie came to Abu Dhabi, MBZ declined to meet with him because the journey had taken him 22 days.

• The Emiratis were also disappointed that the Biden administration declined their request to re-designate the Houthis as a terror organization.

• The Emirati frustration led the UAE to abstain from a UN Security Council vote on condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

• Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to the UAE earlier this month blindsided the White House and further increased tensions with the U.S.

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Morocco’s voice and diplomacy have a “very considerable” impact on the regional and global management of numerous issues and concerns, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“Morocco is first and foremost an important partner for us, and we have had a long relationship with them.” It is crucial to us because we obviously deal bilaterally on a variety of problems. In an interview with the station “Medi1 TV,” Blinken highlighted that “we act jointly at the regional level where Morocco’s voice and diplomacy have a very important impact.”

On a regional level, the US Secretary of State described the Kingdom’s diplomacy as having a significant impact in handling the situation in the Sahel and the Libyan crisis, describing Washington’s collaboration with Morocco as “vital.”

Morocco, according to the American official, also plays a key role in the worldwide management of a number of concerns, including the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.

“Morocco has been highly effective in the vaccine effort” against the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Blinken, who also stated that the US and the Kingdom are cooperating in the fight against the pandemic and looking at what they can accomplish globally, including in Africa.

Regarding climate change, he stated that the Kingdom has made significant progress in addressing the crisis, and that the Morocco-US partnership “acts not just in the region, but increasingly at the global level.”

Referring to the Negev Summit, which brought together the foreign ministers of Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, the United States and Israel, the Secretary of State emphasized that the summit reflects a common desire to jointly produce opportunities for the people of each country by creating links between students and citizens, and by focusing on issues that impact daily life such as investment, infrastructure, climate and global health.

This summit, he added, also illustrates the common will to work on security issues without setting aside the future of the Palestinian people, emphasizing the need to establish a state for the Palestinians and to invest in their future.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Morocco next week to address regional security and international issues, said Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lempert on Thursday.

Secretary Blinken’s Travel to Israel, the West Bank, Morocco, and Algeria – United States Department of State https://t.co/JgvllGOejJ

— U.S. Embassy Morocco (@USEmbMorocco) March 24, 2022

Earlier this month, US media claimed that Saudi and UAE leaders disregarded White House calls to discuss ways to expand oil production in the midst of the West’s efforts to isolate Russia over its special military operation in Ukraine.

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