King Mohammed starts visit to India
Morocco's King Mohammed VI is starting this Monday an official visit to India at the invitation of Indian president Kocheril Raman Narayanan.
Before India, the king paid a short visit to Bahrain, where he attended a dinner hosted in his honor by Sheikh Hamad Ben Aissa Al Khalifa with whom he held private talks.
India is the first leg of a tour in a number of countries.
The king is accompanied by a delegation, comprising Charif Moulay Abdallah El Alaoui, Charif Moulay Driss El Alaoui, minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa, royal advisors, Andre Azoulay and Mohamed Kabbaj, Head of the King's office, Mohamed Rochdi Chraibi, minister of economy, finance, tourism and privatization, Fathallah Oualalou, minister of agriculture, rural development, water and forests, Ismail Alaoui, minister of commerce, industry, energy and mining, Mustapha Mansouri, minister of culture and communication, Mohamed Achaari.
The Moroccan media lavishly commented on the importance of the king's visit to India, noting its dimensions and perspectives it is opening for bilateral relations and Morocco's ties with the Asian sub-continent.
The Moroccan press expected positive effects to be yielded by the visit on Morocco-Indian cooperation and the Kingdom's strategic openness on Asia.
For "Al Alam" daily, the royal visit is an evidence to the existing will to build "a common future" and an opportunity to consolidate "scientific and economic cooperation" drawing benefit from India's experience in scientific research, industry and trade exchanges."
At the political level, the paper focuses on India's stance vis-a-vis the Moroccan Sahara issue to which India will bring a strong support meant to re-affirm the kingdom's territorial integrity at the United Nations Organization. It also voiced astonishment that such an important country, which holds a strategic position and has a population as strong as that of Europe, is not one of the security council permanent members.
