El rey Mohamed VI invita al presidente de Argelia "a dialogar" en Marruecos

The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, has invited the President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to go to the Kingdom "to dialogue" after the monarch decided not to attend the Arab League Summit in Algiers, which was attended by other important political leaders such as Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.  

Nasser Bourita, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, made this invitation from the Alaouite monarch public after his non-attendance in Algiers. For some time now, Mohammed VI has been reaching out to Algeria to resolve the political differences between the two Maghreb neighbours.  

The scenario of rivalry between Morocco and Algeria is greatly exacerbated by tensions between the two nations, especially following the break in diplomatic relations that Algiers marked in 2021 after denouncing 'hostile acts' by Morocco. Underlying all this, however, is the fact that there are deep differences and confrontation over crucial issues such as Western Sahara. 

Morocco has significant international support for its plan for broad autonomy for the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty in line with UN postulates, as opposed to the proposal for a referendum on independence for the Sahrawi people advocated by the Polisario Front with strong support from Algeria, which does not have as much international support. It is worth noting that countries such as the United States, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Spain have shown clear support for the Alawi kingdom on this issue. 

There was talk of the possible presence of Mohammed VI at the Arab League Summit in Algiers after he received an invitation from Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as Moroccan head of state, but no confirmation came from Algeria through the established channels after the Moroccan delegation asked in Algerian territory about the preparations for receiving the Alawite monarch, as Nasser Bourita himself explained, a situation that complicated the atmosphere. Along these lines, the Moroccan foreign minister regretted that "there was no response through the appropriate channels". 

The Moroccan delegation headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs arrived at Algiers' Houari Boumedienne international airport to take part in the meeting of Arab League Foreign Ministers preceding the Arab League summit, but on arrival complained that they had not been received by the Algerian authorities in the same way as the other delegations. Moreover, the Rabat envoys realised that the map shown by the Algerian news channel, which collaborates with the Arab League, did not show the borders recognised by Morocco as far as the Sahara was concerned.

This led to an acrimony in the situation and ultimately confirmed the decision that Mohammed VI would not attend the Arab League Summit in Algeria. Despite this, the Alaouite monarch continues to reach out to his Algerian neighbour for a rapprochement, and now comes the latter's invitation to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for "dialogue" in Rabat. A few months ago Mohammed VI also showed signs of rapprochement with Algeria during his Throne Day speech in July this year, in which he said that the two countries should go hand in hand. "Algeria will always find Morocco by its side in all circumstances and situations", the Moroccan king went so far as to declare.  

For his part, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, in an interview with Al-Arabiya on Monday, regretted a "missed opportunity" when referring to the absence of the Moroccan head of state. 

Reacting to statements by his Algerian counterpart according to which President Tebboune had formally received Mohammed VI on his arrival in Algiers, Nasser Bourita considered that "this type of meeting cannot be improvised in an airport lounge". "His Majesty gave his instructions to send an open invitation to President Tebboune, given that this dialogue could not take place in Algiers", assured the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who represents Morocco at the Arab League summit, as reported by various media such as Le Figaro and Al-Arab.