(MENAFN- Morocco World News) ">Rabat – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a statement to make public the points discussed during the meeting between the Moroccan official and the Algerian diplomat.
The ministry said that Bourita reiterated Morocco's desire to have an official reaction of the Algerian authorities to the King 's offer to establish a political mechanism for dialogue and consultation with Algeria.
The ministry added that Morocco remains 'open and optimistic' about the future of relations with Algeria and that the recent Algerian request for a meeting of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) foreign ministers is 'unrelated to the royal initiative.' The statement asserted Morocco's offer is 'purely bilateral, while the Algerian approach is part of the revival of regional construction.'
The Moroccan ministry also recalled that King Mohammed VI's dialogue offer, announced on November 6, has been 'hailed by a large number of countries and regional and international organizations.'
Besides the indirect statement from Algeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the AMU's foreign ministers meeting, Algeria has not issued any official announcement in response to the King's offer.
Several sources from Algeria spoke anonymously about the Moroccan offer to the press. One anonymous source said that King Mohammed VI's offer is 'questionable' and 'not sincere.'
In response to the Algerian claims, Morocco's ministry said that the royal initiative 'stems from a sincere desire to create a framework for direct and inclusive bilateral dialogue to resolve all disputes between the two countries,' and to relaunch their cooperation and consult on regional challenges.
Commenting on the AMU meeting, Morocco said that it took note of the letters of the secretary-general of the AMU, which informed Morocco of the Tunisian and Algerian requests for the meeting of foreign ministers.
According to Morocco, the state of 'lethargy that the AMU has known for years, is mainly due to the abnormal nature of Moroccan-Algerian relations, which can be treated only in the framework of a bilateral dialogue, direct and without intermediaries.'
The statement echoes King Mohammed VI's request to revive bonds between the two countries, describing the ties between Morocco and Algeria as 'not normal' and 'much less than acceptable.' The countries' border has been closed since 1994.
The King also condemned the division and lack of unity within the Maghreb due to regional conflicts.
The statement concluded that Morocco has 'no objection' to holding a meeting of the AMU. However, Morocco's government is looking forward to receiving an official reaction from Algeria, while remaining committed to a revival of Maghreb construction 'on sound and solid foundations.'
MENAFN2611201801600000ID1097749920
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.