Algeria and Morocco seem to want to move towards a dialogue in order to improve relations between the two countries weighed down by the dispute over Western Sahara. Algerian government spokesman Ammar Belhimer responded to the call by the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, for the dialogue to be reopened. The Algerian official said Algeria was “in favor of any initiative aimed at building and reunification”.
According to Moroccan media quoting European Union Ambassador to Algeria John O’Rourke, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune would be ready to open talks with Morocco. According to the European diplomat, whose statements were relayed by the Arabic-language newspaper Al Ousboue, “the reopening of the dialogue between Rabat and Algiers could take shape in the very near future”.
Referring to Algeria’s position on “the initiative of the Moroccan sovereign, Mohammed VI, to settle the differences” between the two countries, the Algerian government spokesman assured, last August, that “Morocco is a a neighboring and brother country with which Algeria has deep historical and civilizational relations ”and that the two countries had for“ the common objective of building a united Maghreb edifice ”.
The Algerian official pleaded for the adoption of dialogue, legal ways and means and transparency with respect for the specificities and sovereignty of each country and the fundamental principles of Algerian diplomacy, based on non-interference in internal affairs of states.
Before him, it was the head of Algerian diplomacy, Sabri Boukadoum, who had assured that Algeria would do no harm to Morocco and that the Algerian government only demanded respect from the Moroccan side. “We wish the best for Morocco and no harm will come from Algeria
. We only ask for respect, ”the MAE had indicated to calm the spirits.
Algeria in favor of dialogue with Morocco
It should be noted that the words of the two Algerian ministers join those of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. On August 4, on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the sovereign’s accession to the throne, the Algerian President conveyed his congratulations to his Moroccan neighbor, while expressing “his firm determination to continue working to further strengthen relations between fraternity, good neighborliness and cooperation uniting the two brotherly peoples ”.
These are the first direct reactions to a call for dialogue launched by Mohammed VI in 2018. At that time, the King of Morocco proposed the creation of a “joint political mechanism for dialogue and consultation”, in order to improve relations with Algiers. His speech coincided with the 43rd anniversary of the “Green March”, the start of Morocco’s takeover of Western Sahara.
