Morocco’s King Mohammed VI greets Spain’s King Juan Carlos on his arrival in Rabat for a 4-day state visit. Global Post/EFE, Photo: AFP/Getty
Global Post, Agencia EFE, MAP (Rabat, Morocco, July 15, 2013) — Spain’s King Juan Carlos was greeted by Moroccan monarch Mohammed VI on his arrival here Monday for a four-day state visit to the North African nation.
The two monarchs left the airport together en route for the Royal Guest House.
The entire route between the airport and the capital was decorated with the flags of the two nations, and at some places there were members of the public who cheered the passage of the motorcade holding up signs written in Spanish welcoming Juan Carlos.
The two kings will dine together privately Monday night.
The close relationship between the two monarchs has been presented by diplomatic sources as one of the key elements of this visit, which will serve to strengthen and nourish bilateral relations, currently in one of their best periods ever, with trade relations on the rise.
One additional gesture confirming the affection between the two kings is the fact that, for the first time, Mohammed VI has invited a foreign head of state to visit the country during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
King Mohammed VI, accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, Prince Moulay Rachid & Princesses Lalla Salma, Lalla Khadija, Lalla Meriem, Lalla Asmaa & Lalla Hasna, offered a family Iftar in honor of Spain’s King Juan Carlos. Reuters/MAP
The king of Spain traveled to Morocco accompanied by Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo and royal chief of staff Rafael Spottorno.
Arriving in Rabat on Tuesday will be four other Spanish government ministers as well as 27 executives from the major Spanish companies with interests in Morocco, 14 deans of Spanish universities, the director of the Cervantes Institute, Victor Garcia de la Concha, the heads of Spain’s main business federations and the government’s high commissioner for Brand Spain, Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros.
In addition, MAP reported that King Juan Carlos 1 was greeted by Head of Government, Abdellilah Benkirane, Speaker of the House of Representatives Karim Ghellab, Speaker of the House of Advisors Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah, Interior Minister, Mohand Laenser, Foreign Minister, Saad Dine El Otmani, Minister of Justice, Mustapha Ramid, Minister of Equipment and Transport, Rebbah Aziz, and Minister of Industry, Trade and New Technologies, Abdelkader Amara.
The Spanish Sovereign was also greeted by General Abdelaziz Bennani, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces and Commander of the South Zone, General Hosni Benslimane, Commander of the Royal Gendarmerie, Spokesperson for the Royal Palace and historian of the Kingdom of Morocco, Abdelhak Lamrini, Director General of National Police, Bouchaib Rmail, Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour- Zaer, Hassan Amrani, members of the Spanish Embassy in Rabat, and other military and civil officials.
The Spanish Monarch was also greeted by members of the honorary committee which includes Minister of Economy and Finance, Nizar Baraka, and Ambassador of Morocco in Madrid, Ahmed Ould Souilem.
HM King Mohammed VI was greeted by Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Garcia Margallo Marfil, and Director of the Royal House, Rafael Spottorno Diaz Caro.
The Spanish Monarch is accompanied, during his visit to Morocco, by a large delegation including Minister of Justice, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon Jimenez, Interior Minister, Jorge Fernandez Diaz, Minister of Equipment, Ana Maria Pastor Julian, Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism, José Manuel Soria Lopez, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Gonzalo de Benito Secades, and Spanish ambassador to Morocco, Alberto Jose Navaro Gonzalez.
