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Morocco Seeks Normal Ties with Algeria, Says King

Photo published on the Moroccan armed forces Facebook page shows the deployment of soldiers to reopen the Guerguerat crossing
Photo published on the Moroccan armed forces Facebook page shows the deployment of soldiers to reopen the Guerguerat crossing
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Morocco Seeks Normal Ties with Algeria, Says King

Photo published on the Moroccan armed forces Facebook page shows the deployment of soldiers to reopen the Guerguerat crossing
Photo published on the Moroccan armed forces Facebook page shows the deployment of soldiers to reopen the Guerguerat crossing

King Mohammed VI said on Saturday Morocco hopes for a return to normality and open borders with Algeria amid severed diplomatic ties.

Borders between the Maghreb region's two most populous nations have been kept closed since 1994, despite repeated calls by Morocco in recent years for their reopening.

Algeria unilaterally cut ties with Morocco in 2021 and halted the flow of a gas pipeline to Spain via Morocco. It later banned all Moroccan aircrafts from crossing its airspace.

Morocco considers the territory its own, but the Algerian-backed Polisario front wants to establish an independent state there.

"I pray to Almighty God for things to return to normality, and for the opening of borders between the two neighbouring, sister countries and peoples," said Morocco's king in a speech, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic has announced recognizing Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, Rabat's foreign ministry said on Saturday.

The Dominican Republic's position was expressed in a letter by its foreign minister Roberto Álvarez, Morocco's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Dominican Republic's stance aligns it with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, which opened a consulate in Western Sahara last year.

Winning support for its rule over Western Sahara has been the ultimate goal of Moroccan diplomacy.

Some 28 other states, mostly Arab and African, have opened consulates in the territory as tangible proof of their support for Rabat.

Earlier this month Morocco won Israel's recognition of its sovereignty claim over the territory, following a similar move by the United States in 2020. Algeria has strongly criticized Israel's move.

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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is unwilling to pursue peace in Syria and warned that Israel’s efforts to spread war across the Middle East are undermining the environment fostered by the Astana Process.

Fidan emphasized the importance of Russian and Iranian efforts within the framework of the Astana Process to maintain calm on the ground, pointing to ongoing consultations with the US regarding the Syrian crisis.

Speaking during a parliamentary session discussing the 2025 budget of the Foreign Ministry, Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s expectation that the dialogue proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be approached strategically by the Syrian government, with priority given to the interests of the Syrian people.

Regarding Erdogan’s invitation to Assad for a meeting to discuss the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus, Fidan remarked that the matter depends on political will, stressing that the Turkish president has demonstrated his readiness at the highest level.

Last week, Erdogan reiterated the possibility of a meeting with Assad, but Russia, which mediates the normalization talks between Ankara and Damascus, ruled out such a meeting or high-level engagements in the near future.

Russian Presidential Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev attributed the impasse to Türkiye’s refusal to meet Damascus’ demand for a withdrawal from northern Syria, accusing Ankara of acting as an “occupying state”.

Although Türkiye has not officially responded to Lavrentiev’s comments, which reflect a shift in Russia’s stance, Fidan stated in a televised interview last week that Russia remains “somewhat neutral” regarding the normalization process. He also urged the Syrian government to create conditions for the return of 10 million Syrian refugees.

Türkiye maintains that its military presence in northern Syria prevents the country’s division, blocks the establishment of a “terror corridor” along its southern border, and deters new waves of refugees from entering its territory.

Fidan outlined his country’s key objectives in Syria, which include eradicating terrorist groups (such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Syrian Democratic Forces), preserving Syria’s territorial unity, advancing the political process, and ensuring the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, Turkish artillery targeted villages and positions controlled by the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose main component is the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

On Friday, fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian National Army factions and the SDF in western Tel Abyad, northern Raqqa. Simultaneously, Turkish artillery strikes reportedly killed two SDF members and injured others, with reports of captives and missing personnel.

In retaliation, the SDF shelled Turkish bases in the Ain Issa countryside. Turkish forces responded by deploying military reinforcements amid heightened alert at their bases in Raqqa’s countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).