Morocco King surprises revellers on Amsterdam's streets
The King of Morocco arrived at Schiphol Airport on Friday in a private visit to the Netherlands. Mohammed VI started off the stop surprising several people on the street, where he stepped out incognito, wearing just a hoodie sweater, knitted cap and a pair of jeans. The walk around Dam Square and Amsterdam’s canals was exciting for several young people in the capital city, who took the chance to take a few pictures with the king. The photos were posted on Facebook and quickly shared around the world. On his own Facebook page, the king said he was "blessed" to have the chance to spend the time on the street, even after midnight, and meet so many people who just did not want to go to sleep that night. Earlier this week, Dutch King Willem-Alexander also stunned people on the streets of Den Haag with a visit just after the terrorist attacks in Brussels. Officially, King Mohammed VI spoke out against the desire of Netherlands politicians to end the treaty with Morocco, effectively eliminating the payment of new Dutch benefits to people choosing to reside in Morocco. The Dutch senate recently agreed on the measure after a new agreement with Morocco was not completed. The Netherlands wants benefits reduced to fall in line with the standard of living in Morocco. Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders called on the Netherlands to continue working hard towards an agreement with Morocco before the new policy would take effect in 2017. The two countries will lead the Global Counterterrorism Forum beginning in May. It was not known if the king would meet with any government officials in the Netherlands during the trip. Mohammed VI also recently visited the Czech Republic, Hungary and Russia, where he also took photos with people walking around.