Morocco’s King Calls for Renewed Dialogue with Algeria, Citing ’Higher Interests’

In the speech addressed to the nation on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the throne festival, the sovereign once again extended a hand to Algeria. "We call for wisdom and the higher interests of our two countries to prevail. We will thus be able to overcome this deplorable situation that wastes the potential of our two countries, to the great detriment of our two peoples and the bonds of affection and brotherhood that unite them," he affirmed, stressing that the current state of these relations "in no way serves the respective interests of the two peoples".

"[...] Consequently, what affects Morocco equally affects Algeria; for the two countries are indissolubly one. [...]," observed King Mohammed VI, specifying that "the truth is that" the two countries "are both faced with the problems of immigration, smuggling, drug trafficking and human trafficking," and that the gangs engaged in these criminal activities are their "true common enemy". "If, together, we set out to fight them, we will succeed in putting an end to their actions by eradicating their evil at the root," he is convinced.

His wish is that "the media and diplomatic tensions that agitate the relations between Morocco and Algeria," which "damage the image of the two countries and leave a negative impression, particularly in international forums" be conjugated in the past. Morocco "is committed to pursuing its sincere efforts to consolidate security and stability in its African and Euro-Mediterranean environment, and more particularly in its Maghreb neighborhood," added the sovereign. In this sense, he invited the Algerian president to work in unison for the development of the fraternal relations woven by the two peoples during years of common struggle.

"No logic can explain the present situation, especially since the reasons that led to the closure of the borders are totally outdated and have no reason to exist today," noted the sovereign. "Their closure violates a natural right and a genuine legal principle, enshrined in international instruments, in particular the Treaty of Marrakech, the founding text of the Arab Maghreb Union, which provides for the free movement of persons, services, goods and capital between the countries constituting the Maghreb space," added King Mohammed VI.