Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s message comes amid heated tension between Rabat and Algiers due to recent hostile remarks from an Algerian official.
Rabat – Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sent a message to King Mohammed VI, wishing him a “speedy recovery” after the recent heart surgery the Moroccan monarch underwent on June 14.
Algeria’s state media APS quoted Tebboune, saying that he “learned with immense relief” that the King’s surgery was successful.
“Your majesty, the King and dear brother, I learned with immense relief and assurance the news of the successful progress of your surgical operation. I can, on this occasion, only thank God, Almighty, for His grace, begging him to grant you speedy recovery and to protect you from all harm,” Tebboune wrote in his message.
The Algerian President concluded his message, asking the King to accept his “sincere wishes of health and the expression of my feelings of consideration and esteem.”
The King underwent the surgery on June 14 at the clinic of the Royal Palace in Rabat after he presented a recurrence of a heart rhythm disorder, or atrial flutter, on a healthy heart.
The monarch received similar wishes from Arab leaders, including King Salman of Saudi Arabia and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The King of Jordan Abdullah II, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as well as Bahraini King Hamad Ben Khalifa also expressed recovery wishes for the King during telephone conversations on June 16.
While Morocco maintains good relations with the aforementioned countries, the ties between Rabat and Algiers have a long suffered unfriendly history.
Friendly message amid tension
The message from the Algerian President comes amid an escalation between Rabat and Algiers, after the recent hostile remarks voiced by the spokesperson of Algeria’s presidency, Belaid Mohand-Oussaid.
Last week, the Algerian official accused Morocco’s consul in Oran, Aherdane Boutahar, of spying in favor of Morocco’s intelligence community.
The move angered Morocco’s government, who described the allegations as “ridiculous and baseless.”
The country also recalled its consul after the accusations. Morocco’s minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita also summoned the Algerian ambassador to Morocco, Abdelhamid Abdaoui, to learn about Algeria’s motives behind the hostile remarks.
In addition to the recent accusations, Algeria continues to challenge Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara and supports Polisario’s independence claims.
Despite protestations of “brotherly” concern, Algeria continues to refuse to engage in the royal initiative that the King offered in 2018 to break the stalemate with Morocco based on frank and direct dialogue.
