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Moroccan king visits Rwanda to boost bilateral ties

Xinhua, October 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

Morocco's King Mohammed VI arrived in the Rwandan capital Kigali on Tuesday night, marking the first tour of the monarch to East African states since his 1999 coronation.

The three-day state visit to Rwanda comes within the strategy designed by King Mohammed VI in recent years, which aims to diversify its partnerships, strengthen its ties with the most important players on the African continent.

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, Mohammed VI accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay Ismail were received by the Rwanda President Paul Kagame.

The Moroccan ruler who led a delegation of senior officials, including several ministers was greeted by an honor guard detachment mounted by Rwanda defense forces.

As part of a royal tour that will also lead to Tanzania and Ethiopia, the Moroccan King is expected to enhance economic and political ties with eastern African countries in order to gain their support to Morocco's position with regards to the Western Sahara dispute.

The visit to Rwanda by the King is a reciprocation of a visit by Rwandan leader Kagame in June this year, when he had a two-day state visit to the North African nation.

According to Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs, the King's visit aims to further strengthen the already existing friendly relations between the two countries.

Mohammed VI visit comes three months after Morocco announced its intention to return to the African Union.

King Hassan II, King Mohammed's father, withdrew from the AU -- at the time called the Organization of African Unity (OAU) -- in 1984 after it accepted the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in the West Saharan region as a formal member.

Western Sahara, a territory in southern Morocco, was a Spanish colony until 1975. It has been disputed by Morocco and the Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria.

After many years of conflict, a cease-fire was signed in 1991 between the two parties under the auspices of the United Nations. The UN maintained a field mission which was mandated to organize a self-determination referendum. Endit