The establishment of normal relations with regional rival Algeria was called for by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
In a speech marking the 23rd anniversary of his accession to the throne, the monarch said, “We aspire to work with the Algerian presidency so that Morocco and Algeria can work hand in hand to establish normal relations between two brotherly peoples.”
Morocco’s borders with Algeria won’t “separate the Moroccan and Algerian brothers” and will never “be barriers preventing their interactions and understanding,” King Mohammed VI stated.
Moroccans were also urged by King Mohammed VI to adhere to the values of “fraternity, solidarity and good neighborliness towards our Algerian brothers.”
No comment from the Algerian authorities was made on the king’s speech.
Accusing Rabat of having “hostile tendencies,” an accusation denied by Moroccan authorities, Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco last year.
Against the backdrop of the disputed Western Sahara region between Rabat and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, Morocco-Algeria relations have been tense for decades.
