Morocco ‘regrets’ Algeria’s decision to cut diplomatic ties
Contrary to all international calls to settle all the accumulated differences between Algeria and Morocco, and contrary to all the repeated calls made by the Moroccan monarch to open a new page of cooperation between the two neighboring countries, the latest of which was in the throne speech this year, Algeria’s decision to cut diplomatic relations with Morocco came as a shock to the peoples of the two countries and to international observers.
With the transformation of North Africa and the Sahel region into a major target for terrorist groups and transnational crime gangs, the Algerian decision is wrong and does not serve the efforts made by Morocco in cooperation with the United States, France, and the rest of the international community to fight terrorism.
Many writers, analysts and researchers in the American capital have expressed their disappointment with the Algerian move, which in their view does not serve the interests of the peoples of the two countries and embarrasses the Biden administration in its relations with two allies.
Since the United States recognized the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over the Sahara and the restoration of bilateral relations between Morocco and Israel, the Algerian regime’s attacks against Morocco have increased. Where the statements of Algerian officials came loaded with anti-Semitic slogans, describing Morocco as the traitorous regime to the Palestinian cause, accusations that observers of the Algerian internal situation say that the aim is to absorb the anger of the street and tickle its feelings with slogans that contradict the principles of fraternity and rapprochement between the world population and encourage peaceful dialogue to resolve all political differences.
About the reaction of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Associated Press published saying:
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Morocco’s foreign ministry said early Wednesday that the country “regrets” the “completely unjustified” decision of Algeria to break off diplomatic relations.
Algeria formally announced the decision on Tuesday, citing a series of alleged hostile acts.
The move was “expected … in view of the logic of escalation observed in recent weeks,” Morocco’s foreign ministry said in a statement released overnight.
“Morocco categorically rejects the fallacious, even absurd, pretexts underlying it,” it said.
The move culminates a period of growing tension between the North African countries, which are mired in a decades-long feud, with their borders closed to each other.
The Algerian foreign minister notably denounced “massive and systematic acts of espionage” by Morocco, a reference to claims that the kingdom’s security services used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware against its officials and citizens, the official APS news agency reported. Morocco adamantly denies such claims.
Other criticism ranged from reported remarks by Morocco’s U.N. ambassador in mid-July to recent comments by Israel’s foreign minister on a historic visit to Morocco as part of both countries’ normalization of ties.
Morocco and Israel are allies of Western nations, and the move risked complicating diplomacy in the region. Both are important in the fight against extremism in the nearby Sahel region.
