King Mohammed VI: Morocco is willing to normalize relations with Algeria

King Mohammed VI has once more reaffirmed Morocco’s worries about the closing of borders between the two nations, despite the Algerian regime’s reluctance to engage in a direct discussion with Morocco.

During his speech on Throne Day this year, the king of Morocco urged Moroccans to uphold the “spirit of friendship, solidarity, and good neighborliness” with Algerians.

The king reiterated his call for dialogue and stated that Morocco is prepared to cooperate with the Algerian government to forge “normal ties between the two fraternal peoples.”

The king highlighted that the closing of the borders dividing Moroccans and Algerians will “never be obstacles limiting their interaction and understanding.”

The address also denounced hostile campaigns that claim that Algeria and Algerians are being insulted by Morocco and Moroccans, highlighting the fact that such campaigns are being carried out by “irresponsible persons who seek to create strife between the two fraternal peoples.”

The monarch reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to good neighborliness and promised that no one would be permitted to harm its neighbors and brothers.

“We assure the Moroccan people of our firm will to find a way out of the current situation and to promote rapprochement, communication, and understanding,” between Algerians and Morocco.

In August 2021, Algeria made the decision to sever relations with Morocco in response to Morocco’s diplomatic successes in the Sahara case. Algeria severed connections with the nation of North Africa and shut down its airspace with it last year.

Analysts explained Algeria’s actions by the recent rise in support for the Autonomy Plan of Morocco.

After Spain, a member of the European Union, approved Morocco’s 2007 Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible basis for resolving the Western Sahara conflict, Algeria made the decision to discontinue a 20-year-old friendship treaty with that nation.

To the chagrin of Algiers, which militarily and financially supports the separatist Polisario Front, dozens of nations have recently established a diplomatic presence in the Sahara territory in support of Morocco’s position.

A fresh diplomatic stalemate in the Maghreb region resulted from the US’s acknowledgment of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara region in 2020. Recent tensions and Algerian protests were brought on by Spain’s recent declaration of support for Morocco’s peace plan.

Algeria’s diplomatic actions in reaction to the Sahara dossier’s developments have drawn criticism, especially from the European Union, a significant trading partner for both countries. At a time when Europe is in critical need of a consistent supply of gas, the EU has expressed regret over Algiers’ actions that resulted in the closing of the shared Maghreb gas pipeline.

The ruler of Morocco has previously extended an olive branch to Algeria. The King stressed the significance of breaking the political impasse with Morocco’s neighbor weeks before Algeria decided to cut diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021.

The King expressed a similar message in his Throne Day speech in 2021, emphasizing that his nation was prepared to work truly and unconditionally with Algeria to repair previous damaged diplomatic relations.

“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.

He also remembered that the two nations’ borders should typically be open, claiming that closing them is “incompatible with a natural right and inherent legal norms.”