Morocco’s Prime Minister: Ready to Reopen Algerian Border Without Conditions

In an interview with the Al-Shark media, he reiterated Morocco’s "permanent" willingness to reopen the border issue "without counterpart" "when the Algerians are ready". The borders between the two countries have remained closed since 1994 after the kingdom had decided to impose visas on Algerians. This decision followed an attack carried out in Marrakech.

During the interview, Mr. El Othmani also commented on the American recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara in exchange for the normalization of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel. He stated that the recent developments concerning the Sahara have strengthened the kingdom’s position and its territorial integrity. "There is no harm to Algeria," he said.

"King Mohamed VI has repeatedly called on our Algerian brothers to settle all problems by submitting them to discussions in order to find solutions in a fraternal framework," he added. However, Morocco’s position on the Sahara issue remains unchanged. This "national cause will never be the subject of overbidding," this senior Moroccan official stressed, assuring that Morocco’s position was constant and that it would never harm its neighbors.

"The closure of the borders is a reaction to a humiliating action for the Algerian people. The borders were closed at the time of the introduction of the visa. It is not the Western Sahara," Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had said in an interview with France24.

During the last Algerian presidential campaign, Mr. Tebboune, then a candidate, had expressed his willingness to reopen the borders if elected but on one condition. "If Rabat apologizes and publicly commits not to have this behavior again, we can reopen the border," he had said.