Algerian President Praises Morocco’s Historic World Cup Performance

Until now, the Algerian president had not congratulated the Moroccan team whose historic run at the 2022 World Cup is celebrated everywhere in the world. This is now done. In an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro at the presidential palace of Mouradia in Algiers, Abdelmadjid Tebboune says he applauded the good performance of the Moroccans at the Football World Cup. "The Moroccans honored Arab football and especially Maghreb football. They had also applauded us when we won the Africa Cup of Nations," he added.

On another note, the Algerian president returned to the reasons behind the unilateral severing of relations between Algeria and its western neighbor, Morocco. According to him, the Sahara issue is only one of the points of friction. "It is an accumulation of problems since 1963 and the aggression of the Moroccan special forces to take part of our territory in the far south that explains this rupture. We broke up to avoid going to war, and no country can act as a mediator between us," he said.

And he added: "In 60 years of independence, the Algerian-Moroccan border has remained closed for 40 years in reaction to the perpetual hostile acts of the neighbor. But beware, it is the Moroccan regime that causes problems, not the Moroccan people. 80,000 of its nationals live with us in very good harmony."