So-Called Arab Spring Turned out to be a Calamitous Autumn, King Mohammed VI
King Mohammed VI pointed out Wednesday that the so-called Arab Spring which caused destruction, chaos and human tragedies turned out to be a calamitous autumn and that the Arab world is going through a difficult period.
He also warned against the conspiracies which seek to destabilize the few countries that have managed to safeguard their security, stability and political systems.
“What has been described as the Arab Spring has caused destruction, chaos and human tragedies. And now we are witnessing a calamitous autumn, with attempts to lay hands on what remains of Arab countries’ resources and spoil successful experiences, like that of Morocco, by undermining its outstanding national model,” said King Mohammed VI in a speech during the first Morocco-GCC summit held Wednesday in Riyadh.
“We respect the sovereignty of States, their choices and their freedom to establish and promote relations with partners of their own choosing. We are not here to call anybody to account for the political or economic choices they make,” he said, “and yet, there have been new alliances which may lead to disunity and a reshuffling of roles and functions in the region.”
Attempts to foment strife, create chaos would spare no country, could impact world at large
King Mohammed VI warned that “in fact, these are attempts to foment strife and create chaos, and no country would be spared.”
“It could have serious consequences for the region, even the world at large,” he said, insisting that “this is a serious situation which is compounded by egregious, misleading generalizations and insincerity, as shown by expressions of friendship and alliance on the one hand, and stabbing in the back, on the other.”
“We are facing conspiracies which seek to undermine our collective security…They want to destabilize the few countries which have managed to safeguard their security, stability and political systems,” he went on saying, pointing out that these few countries are “the Gulf countries, Morocco and Jordan, which are oases of peace and security for their citizens and a factor of stability in their respective regions.”
The King insisted that these countries are all facing the same perils and the same threats, and therefore, he said, “to defend our security is not only a shared obligation, but it is also a collective, indivisible one.”
Gulf Countries’ security and stability, an intrinsic part of Morocco’s own security and stability
Addressing the leaders of the GCC attending the summit hosted by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, King Mohammed VI said “Morocco has always perceived the security and stability of Gulf countries as an intrinsic part of its own security and stability. What hurts you hurts us, and what affects us affects you.”
As an evidence of this unfailing solidarity with Gulf countries in all situations and circumstances, the King recalled his country’s participation in the First Gulf War or in the Determination Storm operation in Yemen to restore legitimacy, in addition to the ongoing security and intelligence cooperation between the two sides.
“The hostile plots which seek to undermine our stability are continuing; they will not stop. Several countries in the eastern part of the Arab world have been torn apart and destroyed; today, it is the western part which is targeted, and the most recent of these conspiracies has been hatched against the territorial integrity of your second home, Morocco,” he said, adding that “Morocco’s opponents are using every means, directly or otherwise, as part of their thinly-veiled maneuvers.”
Thus, depending on the circumstances, they try to delegitimize Morocco’s presence in its Sahara, promote the independence option and the separatist thesis, or undermine the autonomy initiative, which the international community has described as serious and credible.
Unified stances between Arab States more necessary than ever
Touching on the current juncture in the Arab world at large, which requires, according to him, unified stances and firm solidarity, King Mohammed VI pointed out that “what is at stake is not the situation in a particular country as much as the need, for all of us, to be aware of the challenges confronting us and to show genuine determination to renew our strategic pact with our partners, on the basis of clear determinants that can govern our relations in the decades to come.”
“This is a turning point; a watershed moment between what we want and what the others want us to be. Today, more than ever, we need clear, unified stances between all Arab States,” he said before concluding “Either we stand together, like a solid structure, whose parts reinforce one another, or we become something we do not want to be.”
