Rabat – King Mohammed VI has extended an invitation to Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to visit Morocco for dialogue on the lingering disputes between the two neighboring countries.
AFP quoted Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita, saying that Morocco’s monarch initially confirmed his willingness to attend the Arab League summit, taking place in Algeria from November 1-2.
“The Moroccan delegation did not receive any confirmation from Algeria through its channels” after inquiring about information on the arrangements for the King’s reception, Bourita said.
Under the king’s instruction, the Moroccan foreign minister is leading a delegation, representing Morocco during the summit meetings.
In an interview with Sky Arabia, the official also commented on Algeria’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Morocco, describing the decision as “unilateral.”
“Morocco did not sever diplomatic ties with Algeria, relations were cut from one side, and the borders were closed on one side, this is the reality,” he concluded, stressing that the invitation to the Algerian president will serve as an opportunity to ensure dialogue between the two countries.
He emphasized that King Mohammed VI was willing to attend and has instructed the government to inform all Arab Leaders to encourage them to take part in the event.
“His majesty, however, has conditions, and the conditions were not met for his attendance,” he said.
Algeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ramtane Lamamra commented on the king’s absence from the Arab League, saying that his government “thought” that the monarch would attend the summit.
“But we were informed this morning that this would not be the case,” he said, referring to a “missed opportunity” for joint Arab action and better Maghreb unity.
This is not the first time Morocco has extended its dialogue initiative to Algeria, King Mohammed VI made similar initiatives several times.
One of the latest initiatives was in July, when the king said that Morocco is ready to work with the Algerian president to establish “normal relations between the two brotherly peoples.”
For the monarch, closed borders separating Moroccans and Algerians will “never be barriers preventing their interaction and understanding.”
The king also condemned hostile campaigns alleging that Morocco and its citizens are involved in insulting Algeria and Algerians.
“We assure the Moroccan people of our firm that we will find a way out of the current situation and to promote rapprochement, communication, and understanding” between Algerians and Moroccans, he said.
In his 2021 Throne Day speech, the king echoed the same sentiment, stressing the country’s readiness to sincerely work with Algeria “without conditions” to restore positive bilateral ties.
“I am not satisfied with the current state of our relations for it does not serve our people’s interests, nor is it acceptable to a great many countries,” he said in his previous speech.
Algeria decided to cut ties with Morocco in August 2021, citing hostile activity from Rabat to undermine its stability. Algeria also closed its airspace with the North African country.
The decision to cut ties with Morocco came just a few days after Morocco’s king instructed the Moroccan government to send firefighter jets to help Algeria in its fight against wildfires triggered by rising temperatures last summer.
