King Mohamed VI calls for "a return to normality" in relations with Algeria

King Mohamed VI of Morocco called this Saturday for “a return to normality” in relations with its neighbor Algeria, a country with which diplomatic ties have been broken since 2021 against the background of the Western Sahara conflict.

In a speech addressed to the nation on the occasion of the Feast of the Throne, which commemorates the 24th anniversary of his enthronement, the monarch stressed that his country “will never be the source of any harm or harm” for Algeria.

“We also want to convey to you the enormous importance we attach to the bonds of affection, friendship, exchange and communication between the two peoples,” Mohamed VI said in his speech, broadcast on the country's public television and radio stations.

In the section on international relations, the monarch dedicated a good part to his neighbor in the Maghreb and described relations between the two countries as “stable”, while expressing his wish that they “improve”.

“We implore Almighty God for everything to return to normal, and for the borders to be opened between our two neighboring and brother countries and peoples,” he asserted.

It is not the first time that the King of Morocco has reached out to Algeria and has already done so in previous speeches.

Algeria severed relations with Morocco in August 2021 due to the Western Sahara conflict, among other disagreements, and subsequently decided to close its airspace to Moroccan aircraft. In addition, both countries have kept their land borders closed since 1994.

The two North African neighbors maintain an old rivalry in the region due mainly to Algiers' open support for the Polisario Front, which seeks the independence of the Saharawi territory and is based in the Tindouf camps (in southern Algeria).