Morocco calls for opening Moroccan-Algerian borders, normalization of bilateral relations

"The Kingdom of Morocco calls, in fraternal friendship and total sincerity, for a normalization of relations with Algeria, and for the opening of the borders between the two countries," said a communiqué of the Moroccan Foreign Ministry issued on Thursday.

Here follows the full text of the communiqué

"The Algerian authorities have raised in the last few weeks the border issue with Morocco, noting that they cannot be reopen for the time being due to the obstacles related to the conditions that led to closing them.

Certain declarations mention for their part, the precondition of a final solution to the regional disagreement of the Sahara issue. In this regard, the Kingdom of Morocco wishes to provide the following details and assessments:

1- The closing of the borders was unilaterally decided by Algeria in 1994 in an international, regional, and bilateral context that is outdated nowadays.

2 - The closing of the borders between the two brotherly countries constitutes today a peculiar and exceptional fact in the world, contrary to the aspirations of the peoples of the Maghreb, the expectations of their partners, and the regional demands for peace and development.

3 - It is in such a spirit that the kingdom of Morocco has taken a number of far-sighted initiatives in 2004 and 2005 aiming to encourage the normalization of bilateral relations and the effective re-launch of the construction of the Maghreb. In particular, the kingdom of Morocco had decided to exempt the Algerian brothers from the visa requirement ten years after it was adopted, and hailed the reciprocity showed by the Algerian authorities, while regretting, since then, that the borders remained closed.

4 - The kingdom of Morocco reiterates will to turn a new page in the relations between the two neighboring countries, taking into account their common past and shared destiny.

5 - In this regard, the kingdom of Morocco calls, in most fraternal friendship and total sincerity, for the normalization of bilateral relations, and for the opening of borders between the two countries.

In this way, the aspirations of two peoples, so close in many ways, can be met, and their wishes satisfied, particularly the families concerned, and finally the flux of goods, which has turned into an illicit and notorious traffic, can be channeled."