RABAT, June 20 (Reuters) - Morocco's central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.25 percent on Tuesday, saying the current level remains appropriate.

The bank, known as Bank al-Maghrib, said it expected inflation to stay at 0.9 percent in 2017 and would accelerate to 1.6 percent in 2018.

(Reporting By Samia Errazzouki; editing by Patrick Markey) ((aziz.elyaakoubi@thomsonreuters.com; +971552994086)(;))