His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist Him, was officially welcomed, on December 4, by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), at the “Qasr Al Watan” Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi.
From the Palace entrance to the “Zayed” gate, the Royal motorcade was escorted by a cavalry squadron, a tradition reserved for welcoming distinguished guests of the United Arab Emirates.
From the “Zayed” to “Al Hisn” gates, His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s motorcade paraded past Emirati folk troupes that delivered several performances as a sign of welcome to the Sovereign.
To mark the occasion, the “Al Fursan” national aerial display team coloured the skies above the Palace, tracing smoke ribbons in the red and green colours of the Moroccan flag, while a 21-gun salute sounded to welcome His Majesty the King.
Upon His arrival at “Al Hisn” gate, His Majesty the King was welcomed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State of the United Arab Emirates.
The two Heads of State then waved the national flags to the sound of the two national hymns, before reviewing a detachment by the Emirati land, naval, and air forces who paid the honours.
After posing for a souvenir photo with His Brother HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, HM King Mohammed VI was greeted by the UAE’s Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and President of the Presidential Court, HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, HH Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice-Chairman of Abu Dhabi, HH Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of the Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, HH Sheikh Nahyan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of the Interior, HH General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Member of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, HH Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Head of the Office of Development and Martyrs Families Affairs, HH Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
His Majesty the King was also greeted by HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Advisor of Special Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Hamad Al Nahyan, Minister of State, Sheikh Chakhbout Bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for National Security, Ali Mohammed Hamad Al Shamsi, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargash, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Mohammed Al Mazroui, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Investment, Mohammed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Head of the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi, Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, and the UAE’s Ambassador to Morocco, Al Asri Saeed Ahmed Al Dhaheri.
For his part, the Emirati President was greeted by members of the official delegation accompanying His Majesty King Mohammed VI, including Moulay Abdellah Alaoui and Moulay Youssef Alaoui.
The Moroccan delegation includes HM the King’s Advisor, Fouad Ali El Himma, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, the Minister of the Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohamed Abdeljalil, the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Investment, Convergence, and the Evaluation of Public Policies, Mohcine Jazouli, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget, Faouzi Lekjaa, and His Majesty the King’s Chamberlain, Sidi Mohammed Alaoui.
The official delegation also includes Morocco’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Ahmed Tazi, Managing Director of Mohammed VI Fund for Investment, Mohamed Benchaaboun, General Director of the National Agency for Strategic Management of State Participations and Performance Monitoring of State-owned Enterprises (ANGSPE), Abdellatif Zaghnoun, Chairman and CEO of Royal Air Maroc (RAM), Abdelhamid Addou, Managing Director of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Amina Benkhadra, Chairman and CEO of OCP Group, Mostafa Terrab, Director General of the National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), Abderrahim El Hafidi, Director General of the Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF), Mohamed Rabii Khlie, Chairman and CEO of the National Company of Radio Broadcasting and Television (SNRT) and SOREAD-2M, Faiçal Laaraichi, Chargé de mission at the Royal Cabinet, Karim Bouzida, Director of Legal Affairs and Treaties at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, El Hassan El Asri, and Financing Director at Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development, Abdelouahed El Karroumi, in addition to several other prominent figures.