German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Moroccan counterpart Nassar Bourita insisted on showing their unity during a meeting in Rabat, after tensions over disputed Western Sahara cooled relations between the two countries.
During her inaugural one-day visit to Morocco on Thursday (August 25), German Green Minister Baerbock also met with civil society representatives and visited an educational project in Agadir.
The two ministers hailed a “new chapter” in German-Moroccan relations during a press conference during which they signed a joint declaration to cooperate in various fields, including security and climate policy.
Morocco had suspended its contacts with the German embassy in March 2021, before announcing the recall of its ambassador to Germany.
One of the main points of contention had been Germany’s explicit criticism of then-US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over disputed Western Sahara.
Morocco and Germany took the first steps towards reconciliation last February when Ms. Baerbock and Mr. Bourita pledged to maintain “friendly relations” and overcome “misunderstandings” during a videoconference.
With regard to the question of the autonomy of Western Sahara, Berlin has since limited itself to professing its support for the negotiations led by the UN on the question.
Asked by journalists ahead of the visit on Tuesday whether the visit marks the end of earlier tensions between the two countries, a German government spokesman said: “The answer is yes”.
