Is a phone call paving the way towards thawing Morocco-Syria relations?

Diplomatic ties between Morocco and Syria seem to be heading towards a warming up following phone talks Monday between the two countries’ Foreign Ministers Nasser Bourita and Asaad Al-Shibani.

The announcement was made by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The phone talks between the two officials focused on the strong and promising bilateral partnership between Morocco and Syria, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on its website.

During the conversation, Nasser Bourita expressed Morocco’s support for the Syrian people, as well as for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Additionally, both officials emphasized the need to strengthen diplomatic relations to serve the common interests of the two countries.

This phone call follows more than a decade of strained relations between the two countries. In 2012, Morocco severed diplomatic ties with Syria in response to the violent crackdown by the Syrian regime on anti-government protests that began in 2011, which later escalated into a full-scale civil war.

Morocco also closed its embassy in Damascus and expelled Syrian diplomats from Rabat, partly due to Syria’s support for the Algeria-backed Polisario separatist Front.

Since then, Morocco has maintained a cautious position on Syria, supporting the country’s territorial integrity while refraining from direct involvement in the Syrian conflict.

Morocco’s approach has been rooted in the belief that Syria’s future stability should be determined internally, without foreign interference, a cautious, yet constructive, approach reflecting Morocco’s broader foreign policy priorities: the preservation of regional stability, respect for national sovereignty, and a commitment to Arab unity.

Despite criticism of the Assad regime’s handling of the uprising, Morocco has sought ways to help stabilize the region without getting entangled in the internal politics of Syria. This is evident in Morocco’s call for Syria’s return to the Arab League—not as a way to legitimize the regime, but as a means of reducing foreign influence and promoting internal reconciliation within Syria.

Earlier in December, after the fall of the Assad regime, Bourita had said the Kingdom was closely following “the accelerated and significant developments in the situation in Syria.”

He had said that Morocco’s position regarding Syria, in line with the directives of King Mohammed VI, “has always been clear, concerning the preservation of territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and the unity of the Syrian people. This has been and will remain the consistent position of the Kingdom of Morocco.”