On Wednesday, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita and German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock held their first video conference, wherein both sides agreed to mend bilateral ties, which have become strained in recent months over the Western Sahara dispute.
🇲🇦-🇩🇪| M. Nasser Bourita s'est entretenu, aujourd'hui par visioconférence, avec la ministre des Affaires Etrangères de la République fédérale d’Allemagne, Mme Annalena Baerbock. pic.twitter.com/3Xruj5JbaH
— Maroc Diplomatie 🇲🇦 (@MarocDiplomatie) February 16, 2022
According to the press release by the German Foreign Federal Office, the ministers also welcomed the letter exchange between newly re-elected German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Moroccan King Mohammed VI which highlighted the countries’ mutual interest in establishing a “new partnership.”
To this end, the two ministers agreed to renew dialogue to address the misunderstandings of the past in order to jointly overcome the challenges of the post-COVID-19 recovery.
The press release stated, “In the coming weeks, therefore, guidelines will be defined jointly in order to revitalise and deepen dialogue and cooperation with the aim of mastering future regional and global challenges.”
Furthermore, Baerbock welcomed the return of the Moroccan Ambassador to Berlin Zohour Alaoui and said that Germany’s new ambassador to Morocco would be deployed shortly.
The meeting comes after months of a diplomatic crisis. Morocco recalled its ambassador from Berlin in May 2021 for consultations amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Rabat and Berlin. In a statement, the Moroccan foreign ministry defended its decision to recall the ambassador, citing Germany’s “antagonistic activism” following former United States President Donald Trump’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a region also claimed by the Polisario Front (PF).
The PF has been seeking the independence of Western Sahara since the end of the Spanish colonial rule in 1975. However, Morocco recognises Western Sahara as part of its territory. In 1991, Morocco and the PF agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United Nations (UN). Although Morocco had offered autonomy to Western Sahara, the PF rejected it, insisting on a referendum that promised freedom. In 2020, the United States recognised Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara and consequently, more than 20 Arab and African countries opened their consulates in the territory.
Before recalling the ambassador, Morocco also suspended contact with the German Embassy in Rabat as early as March 2021.
In this respect, Germany’s new government, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has been trying to restore amicable relations with Morroco. In December of last year, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier invited the Moroccan King to visit Berlin. Steinmeier said, “I hold in high esteem your innovative approaches in the fight against climate change and in the energy transition.” He also stressed on Morocco’s contribution to sustainable development and regional stability.
Likewise, Scholz said, “Rabat’s plan for autonomy over Western Sahara represents an important contribution towards peace.”
In response, in December, Morocco expressed a willingness to restore diplomatic representation and initiate a new beginning based on clarity and mutual respect with Germany following positive comments by the Scholz government on the disputed Western Sahara region.