Morocco, Germany keen to seal a new partnership
Morocco and Germany have both expressed keenness to give a new momentum to the two countries’ ties and to seal a new partnership.
The announcement came in a joint statement by Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock issued Wednesday following a first video conference between the two officials, after several months of diplomatic crisis.
The two sides agreed to revive “the special quality” of bilateral relations in all areas, in a spirit of harmony, consistency, mutual respect and efficient policies.
The two officials welcomed the terms of the letters exchanged between President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany and King Mohammed VI, which emphasized the “shared interest to seal a new partnership between the two countries.”
They also expressed their mutual interest in “close and friendly relations between the two countries” and agreed to start a new dialogue to “overcome misunderstandings in their relations and deepen their multi-faceted bilateral relations.”
In this vein, they underlined the great potential of relations between Morocco and Germany, reaffirming the shared interest to give them an additional impetus to face up the challenges and requirements of the post COVID-19 recovery, the statement said.
Bourita and Baerbock agreed to resume cooperation covering all areas and involving all actors. In the coming weeks, guidelines will be defined jointly to revive and deepen the dialogue and cooperation to solve regional and global challenges in the future.
The German minister welcomed, in this regard, the return of Morocco’s Ambassador in Berlin and stressed that Germany’s new Ambassador should arrive soon in Morocco.
Morocco had recalled the ambassador in May 2021 for consultations and suspended all contacts with the German embassy in Rabat and German organizations earlier in March amid deepening diplomatic tensions between Berlin and Rabat, especially over Germany’s ambivalent stand on the Sahara issue and over what Rabat had described as German antagonism against Morocco’s territorial integrity.
Relations started to warm up after Germany’s new government attempted to restore normalcy to diplomatic relations with the Kingdom and in January this year the German president sent to King Mohammed VI an invitation for an official visit to Berlin in order to establish a “new partnership.”
In a message on the occasion of the new year, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed the largescale reforms spurred by the Moroccan King and underscored the autonomy initiative as a basis for a political solution to the Sahara conflict.
The message reiterated Germany’s position in support of the autonomy initiative and Morocco’s role in promoting regional peace and stability including in Libya.
The German president also highlighted Morocco’s “commitment to the fight against international terrorism, which is essential for my country (Germany) and its security.”
This February 15, King Mohammed VI sent a congratulation message to Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the occasion of his re-election as President of Germany.
In this message, the Sovereign voiced Morocco’s will to give fresh momentum to the relations rooted in friendship and cooperation with the European country, in a spirit of mutual esteem and full respect for the two countries’ immutable values and specific features.
“I am sure this would serve our peoples’ common interests and contribute to security, stability and prosperity in the Euro-Mediterranean region,” the king stated in his message.
