Morocco-Turkey Tensions Rise Over Divergent Approaches to Libyan Crisis

The fact that the Moroccan ambassador to Turkey, Ali Lazrak, returned to Rabat last week to consult his hierarchy on the conflict in Libya, is indicative of the turbulence that will affect the relations between the two countries. It is no secret that Morocco, which has been involved in the drafting of the Skhirat peace agreement in 2017, has always advocated a peaceful solution between the warring actors in Libya.

Nasser Bourita recently declared in Brazzaville that "the settlement of the conflict is in the hands of the Libyan brothers, without any interference from foreign powers". However, among these powers intervening in this conflict is Turkey.

Another source of discord between the two countries is the exclusion of Morocco from the Berlin conference on the Libyan crisis, held on January 19. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that "the Kingdom has always been at the forefront of international efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis, and has played a decisive role in the conclusion of the Skhirat agreements. Agreements which are, to this day, the only political framework supported by the Security Council and accepted by all Libyan stakeholders, with a view to resolving the crisis in this brotherly Maghreb country".

Far from the discord related to the settlement of the Libyan conflict, the other subject of discord with Turkey is linked to the terms of the free trade agreement. In an effort to review the terms of the agreement, a fifteen-day deadline had been proposed by the Moroccan Minister of Commerce. But according to the latest news, the revision of this agreement, agreed during the recent visit to Rabat of the Turkish Minister of Commerce, Ruhsar Pekcan, has been postponed sine die, without the Moroccan side having been notified.