RABAT: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday visited Morocco, where he discussed regional security and met the United Arab Emirates crown prince leader Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
His trip comes in the shadow of Russia s invasion of Ukraine, which along with sanctions against Moscow has sent wheat and fuel prices soaring in a serious blow to import-dependent North African countries.
Speaking to journalists in Rabat, Blinken said the US recognised the “disaster” the supply crunch had caused.
“We re discussing concrete steps we can take … to help reduce the impact, particularly on the most vulnerable populations,” he said.
Blinken also said he was “encouraging partners to speak out against Russian aggression” and said he doubted Russia s “seriousness” in talks with Ukraine held in Turkey.
Read more: Russia agrees to scale down military operations in north Ukraine
Washington s top diplomat had flown into Rabat late Monday from Israel where he met his counterparts from the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain and Egypt, underlining a seismic shift in relations between Arab countries and the Jewish state.
On Tuesday, he met Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita for discussions including on the Western Sahara dispute and security cooperation.
The same subjects will loom large in meetings the following day with Morocco s regional rival Algeria, after months of deteriorating relations between Rabat and Algiers.
