King Mohammed VI has invited Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to come to Morocco “for dialogue” as he was unable to do so at the Arab League summit in Algiers, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser told AFP Bourita.
This non-new invitation comes after the Moroccan sovereign withdrew from attending the Arab leaders’ summit, which is due to be held in the Algerian capital until Wednesday. It is part of an acute crisis between the two hostile Maghreb brothers following the severing of their diplomatic ties in August 2021, at the initiative of Algiers, which denounced “hostile actions” by its neighbor.
Mohammed VI had in recent days announced his intention to go to Algiers, where he had been invited by President Tebboune as Moroccan head of state. But “there was no confirmation (from the Algerian side) through the available channels” after the Moroccan delegation in Algiers inquired about the planned arrangements to welcome the Cherife sovereign, Nasser Bourita explained. The head of Moroccan diplomacy complained that there had been “no reaction through the appropriate channels”.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, for his part, regretted a “missed opportunity” in an interview with a Saudi news channel on Monday, pointing to the absence of the Moroccan leader.
This type of meeting cannot be improvised in an airport lounge. »
Nasser Bourita, Moroccan Foreign Minister
In response to statements by his Algerian counterpart that President Tebboune Mohammed VI. officially received upon his arrival in Algiers, Nasser Bourita opined that “this type of meeting cannot be improvised in an airport lounge”. “His Majesty (Mohammed VI) gave his instructions to send an open invitation to President Tebboune, since this dialogue could not take place in Algiers,” assured the foreign minister, who represents Morocco at the Arab summit.
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Mohammed VI has repeatedly reiterated an “outstretched hand” to Algeria in recent years, despite the deterioration in bilateral relations. “We aspire to work with the Algerian Presidency so that Morocco and Algeria can work hand in hand to establish normal relations between two fraternal peoples,” the Cherife sovereign had pleaded last July on the occasion of the traditional Feast of the Throne.
The security cooperation that the Moroccan neighbor has established with Israel following the normalization of their ties in December 2020 has heightened tensions between Algiers and Rabat, which are already high due to deep disagreements over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.