Mohammed bin Zayed An Nahyan, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, received a phone call, Sunday, from King Mohammed VI. The Moroccan sovereign and Zayed Al Nahyan «discussed brotherly relations between the two countries and ways to develop them», the third son of the first President of the United Arab Emirates said on his Twitter account, adding that they addressed «issues of common interest». محمد بن زايد يتلقى اتصالا هاتفيا من ملك المغرب محمد السادس .. جرى خلاله بحث العلاقات الأخوية بين البلدين وسبل تنميتها، إضافة إلى تطورات الأحداث التي تشهدها المنطقة وعدد من القضايا التي تهم البلدين. — محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) 8 juillet 2019 The phone call comes as relations between the two countries became strained since 2017. Indeed, Morocco's neutrality during the Qatar diplomatic crisis was not appreciated by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which cut diplomat ties with Doha. The Libyan crisis was also part of the crisis between Rabat and Abu Dhabi. While Morocco supports Libya's UN-led Government of National Accord, formed under the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement, the United Arab Emirates backs Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who heads the Libyan National Army. In February, Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita told Qatari channel Al Jazeera that Morocco suspended participation in Saudi-led war in Yemen. Shortly later, media announced that Morocco's ambassadors in Saudi Arabia and UAE were recalled, after a report on Western Sahara published by Al Arabiya. In April, Bourita toured Gulf countries, handing over letters to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. The tour excluded the United Arab Emirates.
