the Moroccan King Mohammed VI reiterated on Friday his country's firm commitment to build a strong Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), deeming it as a "strategic choice" for the north African kingdom.

Morocco expressed its "unwavering faith in the need to get the Maghreb Union out of its current political lethargy," as the king congratulated leaders of the four other Maghreb countries, namely Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia, at the 28th anniversary of the organization.

Morocco hopes to reactivate the union's institutions and strengthen its structures, stressing that a strong AMU would become a source of strength for its member states and will effectively contribute to tackling many sub-regional, regional and international challenges.

The union will also contribute as an influential regional economic group to the achievement of the noble objectives of the African Union, he added.

The AMU, founded in 1989 in Marrakech, aims at stronger ties, a common policy in different domains, and free movement of persons and transfer of services, goods and capital among member states.

According to study by the Economic Commission for Africa, the intra-Maghreb market remains one of the least dynamic in the world, with intra-regional trade hovering around three percent of the member countries' total imports.

Source: Xinhua