The Gulf capital behind Moroccan strategy

After attending the 8th joint ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Morocco is set to host the 9th meeting, as reported by Maghrebi Weekly on 2nd of June.

Morocco has been strengthening its relations with Gulf nations after the Arab Spring, when it was first invited to join the GCC in 2011, a regional alliance of six hereditary monarchies: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Although full geographic membership was impractical, this initiative was cemented by a $5 billion GCC development for Moroccan infrastructure, birthing a strategic partnership between the regions.

In militarily fortifying their alignment, Morocco joined the Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm in 2015 against Houthi advancements in Yemen. The military campaign was mostly aerial, with Morocco committing six F-16 warplanes, until they quietly suspended participation in 2019 to maintain Morocco’s neutrality during the 2017 Gulf Rift.

Maghrebi.org