The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, called on Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to "work together, as soon as he sees fit, to develop brotherly relations" between the two countries, and said that "the current situation of these relations does not satisfy us, is not in the interest of our peoples, and is not accepted by many countries." ".

And King Mohammed VI added - in a speech delivered yesterday evening, Saturday, on the 22nd anniversary of his accession to the throne of Morocco - "We renew the sincere call for our brothers in Algeria to work together, without conditions, to build bilateral relations based on trust, dialogue and good neighborliness."

He said that neither he nor the current Algerian president, nor even the former president (Abdelaziz Bouteflika) are responsible for the decision to close the borders between the two countries since 1995, considering that "open borders are the normal situation between two neighboring countries and two brotherly peoples, because closing the borders is incompatible with a natural right." and an authentic legal principle enshrined in international conventions.

moral responsibility

"But we are politically and morally responsible, for its continuation (the closure decision), before God, before history, and before our citizens."

He said that "there is no reasonable logic that can explain the current situation, especially since the reasons behind closing the borders have become overridden, and today they no longer have any acceptable justification."

Mohammed VI affirmed that "Morocco is keen to continue its sincere efforts to consolidate security and stability in its African and Euro-Mediterranean surroundings, especially in its Maghreb neighborhood."

He continued, "I assure our brothers in Algeria that evil and problems will never come to you from Morocco, nor will any danger or threat come to you from it, because what touches you touches us, and what strikes you harms us."

He added, "We consider that Algeria's security and stability, and the tranquility of its people, are part of Morocco's security and stability," and that "what affects Morocco will also affect Algeria, because they are like one body," because "Morocco and Algeria are more than two neighboring countries, they are complementary twins."

The King of Morocco expressed his regret "for the media and diplomatic tensions in the relations between Morocco and Algeria, which harm the image of the two countries and leave a negative impression, especially in international forums."

Corona battle

On the internal level, King Mohammed VI thanked "all actors in the health sector, public and private, the military, the security forces and the public authorities, for the dedication and spirit of responsibility they have shown in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic."

He said that thanks to the "collective national effort, the national economy is recording positive indicators, on the way to restoring its full capabilities."

He expressed "his pride in Morocco's success in the battle to obtain the vaccine", as well as "the good conduct of the national vaccination campaign, and the broad participation of citizens in it."

He added that what he called "health sovereignty is an essential element in achieving the country's strategic security", which is why Morocco launched a "pioneering project in the field of manufacturing vaccines, medicines and necessary medical materials."

He said that Morocco has also launched an "ambitious plan to revive the economy, by supporting the affected small and medium enterprises, preserving jobs and the purchasing power of families, by providing direct material assistance."