World Leaders Congratulate King Mohammed VI on Youth Day, 63rd Birthday

On Aug 21, 2026

Marrakech – A wave of congratulatory messages reached King Mohammed VI on Friday as Morocco marked Youth Day, a national holiday that falls on the monarch’s 63rd birthday. Heads of state and diplomatic missions from around the world joined in commemorating the occasion.

From Stockholm, King Carl Gustaf of Sweden conveyed his congratulations and his wishes of happiness to the King and prosperity to the Moroccan people.

Saudi Arabia sent two messages. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, president of the Council of Ministers, extended warm congratulations and sincere wishes of health and happiness to King Mohammed VI, together with continued progress and prosperity for the government and people of Morocco.

King Salman bin Abdelaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, conveyed similar wishes of health, happiness, and further progress for the kingdom.

Chinese President Xi Jinping used the occasion to recall nearly seven decades of ties. He remarked that the two countries have remained committed to mutual respect, dialogue on equal footing, and reciprocal benefit since establishing diplomatic relations 68 years ago.

Xi recalled the strategic partnership announced during the King’s 2016 state visit to China, describing a decade of consolidated political trust and expanding cooperation. He called their relationship “a model to follow” for solidarity among Global South nations and voiced his readiness to work with the King as the partnership marks its tenth anniversary this year.

Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema extended wishes of health, happiness, and success. He commended Morocco’s standing as a model of economic development and a major power on the international stage.

Oligui Nguema reiterated his commitment to work with King Mohammed VI “toward consolidating the relations of friendship, brotherhood, and cooperation that happily exist between our two countries, in areas of common interest, for the benefit of our respective peoples.”

The US, French, and UK missions in Morocco – representing three major Western powers – joined the occasion. In a social-media post, the US embassy congratulated Morocco and the King, wishing the country and its youth “continued prosperity every year.” The French embassy also offered a message of goodwill to the monarch and the Moroccan people, while the British embassy likewise marked the occasion with congratulations.

The messages carry added diplomatic weight given the three countries’ evolving positions on the Western Sahara dispute. Morocco counts Washington and Paris among a growing number of capitals backing its sovereignty over the southern provinces.

The United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara in December 2020, a landmark decision that ushered in a new chapter in the strategic partnership between Rabat and Washington. In July 2026, King Mohammed VI named the Tiznit-Dakhla expressway after President Donald Trump as a symbolic tribute to his role in that historic shift.

France followed Washington in 2024, with President Emmanuel Macron stating in a July 30 letter that the region’s present and future fall within Moroccan sovereignty. The United Kingdom moved closer to Rabat’s position in June 2025, formally endorsing Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the “most credible, viable and pragmatic basis” for a lasting settlement and pledging to support that position bilaterally, economically, regionally, and internationally.

Youth Day traces its origins to the early years of independence. King Mohammed V instituted the celebration in 1956 on July 9, the birthday of his heir, the future King Hassan II. Under King Mohammed VI, the holiday moved to August 21, the anniversary of his birth, and it now serves as an occasion to assess policies directed at young people.

The 2011 Constitution deepened that focus. Its Article 33 obligates public authorities to widen youth participation in social, economic, cultural, and political life, and it provided for the creation of a Consultative Council of Youth and Community Action. The Constitution reframed young Moroccans as actors in national development rather than mere beneficiaries of public policy.

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