Rabat – Moroccan and Algerian politicians work “together and separately” to go beyond Sahara conflict and to normalize bilateral relations between the the two countries.
The Moroccan-Algerian bilateral relations have been stagnant due to the tension between the two countries over the Western Sahara conflict. Because of the financial and political support Algeria has been providing to the Polisario since 1975, borders between the two counties have been closed for over 34 years over the past four decades.
Moroccan politician and former Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi, and former Algerian foreign minister, Lakhdar Brahimi, are believed to be working “together and separately” to overcome the political deadlock between Morocco and Algeria.
According to the French-speaking news website Jeune Afrique, the two politicians have been encouraged to revive their relations by King Mohammed VI’s call in his commemoration of the Revolution of the King and the People’s speech to “renew” and “commit” to the “sincere solidarity that unifies the Algerian and Moroccan people.”
The two figures, Youssoufi and Brahimi, are both respected by their people and close to decision makers in their respective countries. The efforts to revive the bilateral relations between Morocco and Algeria involve extending beyond the issue of the Moroccan Sahara in hopes of leading their countries to tangible solutions.
Attempts to put an end to the strained relations have failed several times in the past. However, the thought to rekindle civility between the two nations reemerged last year in Rabat during the ceremony of 50th anniversary of the disappearance of Mehdi Ben Barka, which Algerian diplomat Brahimi attended.
