Morocco’s king reiterates call to mend ties with Algeria

LONDON - Morocco’s King Mohammed VI reiterated on Saturday his call to Algeria to develop ties between the two neighbouring countries during his speech to the nation on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of his accession to the throne.

“I reiterate my sincere call to our brothers in Algeria for us to work together, without conditions, for the development of bilateral relations based on trust, dialogue and good neighbourliness,” said the monarch.

He expressed his dissatisfaction with the current state of relations between the two countries which does not serve their peoples’ interests, calling for the re-opening of the borders.

Land borders between Algeria and Morocco have been shut since the early 1990s over security, aggravating friction between Algiers and Rabat.

“It is my firm belief that an open border between two neighbouring countries and two brotherly peoples is the norm,” he said.

“The closing of borders is incompatible with a natural right and an intrinsic legal principle, both of which are enshrined in international covenants, including the Marrakech Treaty, which is the founding text of the Arab Maghreb Union. That Treaty stipulates the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital between the States of the Union,” he stressed.

The monarch pointed out that neither the current Algerian president, nor even his predecessor, nor he, were responsible for the decision made to close the border, but were politically and morally responsible for its continuation.

“There is no sensible justification for the current situation, the more so as the reasons that led to the closing of the border apply no more. This means there is no reasonable justification for the closure,” he said.

“The closing of the border does not stop communication between the two peoples; rather, it only contributes to the closure of minds, which are swayed by the false stories spread by some media outlets, namely that Moroccans are afflicted by poverty and that they live on smuggling and drugs,” he added.

King Mohammed VI called on Algeria to work together in combat illegal migration, smuggling, drug and human trafficking. He also urged Abdelmajid Tebboune to mend diplomatic ties that have been tense following the recent media tensions between the two nations.

“I call upon His Excellency the Algerian President for us to work together, as soon as he sees fit, so as to promote the fraternal relations built by our peoples through years of common struggle,” said the monarch.