WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has offered support to Morocco following the deadly earthquake that hit the country earlier this month, the White House said in a statement on Monday.
Biden during a telephonic conversation with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI offered condolences following the earthquake.
The two leaders discussed Washington’s willingness in relief efforts
The statement said the two leaders discussed Washington’s willingness to assist in relief and recovery efforts.
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Morocco, with its epicenter in the High Atlas Mountains, on September 8 that claimed more than 3,000 lives.
Morocco last Thursday launched an aid programme to help the residents of around 50,000 damaged buildings.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have said that it would take years to be able to rebuild the damaged areas.
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Earlier the Arab League and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO) had jointly requested the global community to urgently provide humanitarian aid to those affected by the earthquake in Morocco.
The earthquake is the deadliest in Morocco since the 1960 Agadir earthquake, which claimed the lives of 12,000 to 15,000 people. As the recovery efforts continue, the world expresses solidarity with Morocco during this difficult time.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in an exclusive interview with Western media disclosed that the IMF had reached a staff-level agreement with Morocco to provide a $1.3 billion loan from the Fund’s new Resilience and Sustainability Trust. The loan would be used to enhance Morocco’s preparedness for climate-related disasters.
