"Praise be to God
May peace and blessings be uponthe Prophet, His Kith and Kin

Mr. President,
Distinguished Heads of the Republic’s Institutions,
Mr. Prime Minister,
YourExcellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me, first, Mr. President, to thank you for your good wishes and for your kind words about me and my country.
I also want to say how much I appreciate the warm, brotherly welcome extended to me and my delegation by Your Excellency and the people of Gabon.

Mr. President,
The strength and vibrancy of the relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Gabonese Republic stem from the precious legacy shaped by my late father, His Majesty King Hassan II, and the late President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba. May they both rest in peace.

These two outstanding Heads of State managed to build an exceptional relationship, based onsincere friendship, genuine solidarity and a shared vision regarding strategic issues of common concern.
Since my accession to the throne of my glorious ancestors, and as evidenced by the three visits I have paid to your beautiful country, I have untiringly sought to deepen and strengthen the special relations enjoyed by Morocco and Gabon.

Likewise, and since you became President of the Gabonese Republic, you have shown strong determination to consolidate our bilateral relations.

In this regard, we were greatly honored and particularly touched that you chose Morocco for your first official visit abroad, in March 2010.

This exchange of visits at the highest levelhas given fresh momentum to our fraternal bonds as well as renewed impetus to our bilateral cooperation.

The legal framework of our partnership has been updated and enriched. Moreover, the exchange of experiences and best practices between our two countries has been further promoted and our technical cooperation expanded.

Our political dialogue, particularly at our personal level, has also deepened.

Thanks to this climate of confidence and cordial understanding, economic and trade relations between our two countries have increased, as evidenced by a large - and constantly growing - presence of major Moroccan companies attracted by the potential of the Gabonese economy and an inviting business environment.

These private investments have concerned the strategic sectors of telecommunications, finance and banking, mining and industry. Other Moroccan operators are showing a keen and growing interest in Gabon, especially in the areas of housing, agribusiness and communications.

These business groups are actively contributing to the achievement of the objectives of Gabon’s "Strategic Plan as an Emerging Country" - a plan which is realistic, ambitious and appropriately structured around three pillars: the green economy, industry and the servicesector.

I should like to commend the significant contribution made by the Moroccan community in Gabon towards the country’s economic and social development.

I am also happy to note the long-established presence in Morocco of Gabonese male and female students who are successfully pursuing their academic studies and professional training in my country.

Mr. President,
Allow me to take this opportunity to say how much I appreciate your personal commitment to peace and security on our continent.

Indeed, since you took office as President, you have managed to maintain and expand the key role traditionally played by Gabon - the land of dialogue and mediation - to ease tensions and resolve inter-African conflicts. Your recent personal involvement in the crisis in the Central African Republic clearly attests to this constructive role.

In this regard, I am convinced that under your stewardship, the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa will make significant progress in 2013 and promote closer bonds between the peoples of Central Africa.

I am just as pleased to acknowledge Gabon’s pivotal role within the Economic Community of Central African States, which has its headquarters in Libreville.

Sharing with these two sub-regional organizations the same commitment to the ideals of peace and security and a strong desire to achieve development and integration, Morocco is fully prepared to enter into an institutionalized relationship with these two sub-regional groupings, through observer member status.

Furthermore, Morocco and Gabon work side by side in the international arena to further the cause of sustainable development and global peace, pending the awaited overhaul of the global governance system, in which Africa would play a more significant role.

Mr. President,
There is no doubt in my mind that my visit to Gabon, coupled with the decisions we shall make and the actions we shall agree on, will be another milestone in the broad, meaningful, promising relationship between our two nations.

We can thus continue to deepen and expand the scope of our solidarity-based and mutually beneficial partnership. By continuing to rely on our own assets, we will fulfill the legitimate aspirations of our peoples, who share a deep commitment to inter-African cooperation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I ask you to rise to pay tribute to President Ali Bongo Ondimba. Long live the friendship between Morocco and Gabon. May our peoples enjoy everlasting prosperity.

Wassalamualaikumwarahmatullahwabarakatuh."