King Mohammed VI has reached out again to Algeria to open a new page in its relations with Morocco, saying the two countries are “more than just two neighboring countries: they are twins, complementing one another”.
In his traditional Throne Day speech made Saturday, the Monarch reiterated his sincere call to Algerian leaders to work with Morocco, “without conditions, for the development of bilateral relations based on trust, dialogue and good neighborliness”.
“I am not satisfied with the current state of our relations, for it does not serve our peoples’ interests, nor is it acceptable to a great many countries”, said the King, stressing that an open border between two neighboring countries and two brotherly peoples is the norm.
“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”, said the Sovereign, noting that he has been making this call since 2008.
“Neither the current Algerian president, nor even his predecessor, nor I, are responsible for the decision made to close the border”, underlined the King.
“However, we are politically and morally responsible for its continuation – we are responsible before God, before history and before our citizens”, stressed the Monarch, noting that there is no sensible justification for the current situation and the closing of the border.
The closing of the border 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, explained the Monarch.
Morocco will never cause Algeria any problem because “what affects you affects us, and what befalls you harms us”, added the King, affirming that the security and stability of Algeria and the tranquility of its people are inseparable from the security and stability of Morocco, and vice versa.
What affects Morocco will also affect Algeria, for the two countries are like one and the same body, said the Monarch, noting that both countries suffer from the problems of migration, smuggling, drugs and human trafficking.
“It is the gangs which engage in such activities that are our real, common enemy. Should we work together to combat them, we would surely manage to reduce their activities and dry up their sources”, said the King.
He deplored the media and diplomatic tensions currently characterizing relations between Morocco and Algeria on the international scene, stressing the need to make the logic of wisdom and supreme interests of the two countries prevail in order to remedy this regrettable situation which is incompatible with the bonds of affection and fraternity between the peoples of the countries.
For this reason, “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”, underlined the Monarch.
He also spoke of Morocco’s efforts to counter Covid.19 pandemic, recalling the social and economic measures made to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
“We have every right, today, to celebrate Morocco’s achievements in the “battle for vaccines” – which is far from being an easy one – as well as the successful roll-out of the national vaccination campaign and the citizens’ massive engagement in it”, said the King, recalling the pilot project launched for the manufacturing, in Morocco, of vaccines, medicines and the necessary medical materials to ensure the country’s medical autonomy which is part of its national strategic security.