Published on: 07/31/2022 – 08:15
On the occasion of the traditional speech marking the anniversary of his accession to the throne, the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, “again” extended his outstretched hand to Algeria on Saturday, almost a year after the rupture of diplomatic relations between the two Maghreb neighbors.
The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, “once again” extended his outstretched hand to Algeria during the traditional speech marking the anniversary of his accession to the throne, despite the collapse in relations between the two Maghreb neighbors.
“We aspire to work with the Algerian Presidency so that Morocco and Algeria can work hand in hand to establish normal relations between two fraternal peoples,” the sovereign said in a radio and television address to the nation on Saturday, July 30 .
“I emphasize once again that the borders separating the Moroccan people and the fraternal Algerian people will never be obstacles that prevent their interaction and understanding,” he stressed, calling on Moroccans “to respect spiritual brotherhood, solidarity and… to keep good neighborly relations with our Algerian brothers”. .
Already last year he had decided to address Algerian opinion in the midst of a crisis with Algiers.
Diplomatic relations were severed in August 2021
Mohammed VI promised to “find a way out of the current situation and to promote rapprochement and understanding between the two peoples”.
Algeria severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in August 2021, accusing Rabat of “hostile acts”. A decision “completely unjustified”, according to Rabat.
The main dispute between the two Maghreb heavyweights concerns the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
The status of this former Spanish colony, considered a “non-autonomous territory” by the United Nations, has pitted Morocco against the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, backed by Algiers, since the 1970s.
Rabat, which controls almost 80% of this territory, favors an autonomy plan under its sovereignty. The Polisario is calling for a referendum on self-determination under the aegis of the UN.
>> For reading : With the severing of ties between Algeria and Morocco, the Maghreb will be permanently ‘divided’
Furthermore, Algeria, a supporter of the Palestinian cause, never misses an opportunity to criticize Morocco’s growing cooperation, particularly military, with “Zionist entity” (Israel).
Regarding “the allegations that Moroccans are insulting Algerians and Algerians”, the Cherifan monarch considered that they are the result of “irresponsible persons anxious to sow discord between the two fraternal peoples”.
“This gossip about Moroccan-Algerian relations is completely pointless and genuinely appalling,” he said.
In the further course of his speech, Mohammed VI. with a strong socio-economic tone, the national priorities: the reform of the family code in favor of women’s rights, social protection, price control – in an international situation of inflationary tensions – and vaccination to combat Covid-19.
Reform king Mohammed VI, 58, has ruled Morocco since July 1999, when he succeeded his father Hassan II.
With AFP