Morocco Recalls Its Ambassador to Berlin For Consultations

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita. Reuters file photo
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita. Reuters file photo
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Morocco Recalls Its Ambassador to Berlin For Consultations

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita. Reuters file photo
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita. Reuters file photo

Morocco recalled its ambassador to Berlin for consultations on Thursday in protest at what it described as Germany's "destructive attitude" towards Rabat's position on the Western Sahara issue.

It accused Germany of engaging in "antagonistic activism" after the United States in December recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the territory.

In a statement, it also repeated a previous complaint that Germany had not invited it to a 2020 Berlin conference on Libya.

Morocco also said on Thursday that Germany had disclosed sensitive information provided by Moroccan security services to a convicted militant.

It condemned German authorities’ “complicity” with regards to the case of Mohamed Hajib, a former terrorism convict who lives in Germany.

Hajib has been living in the European country since 2017 after he spent seven years in a Moroccan prison for terror charges.

Tensions initially emerged between Morocco and Germany after Berlin refused to extradite Hajib who has published a series of videos on YouTube attacking Moroccan officials.

“For all these reasons and due to this constant and unacceptable hostility, the Kingdom of Morocco has decided to recall the Ambassador for consultation,” the Moroccan ministry said in a statement.

Notably, this comes few months after a letter was leaked online from Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita to the rest of the Moroccan government ordering officials to suspend “all contact, interaction and cooperation” with the German Embassy and embassy-related activities.



US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as Washington moves to remove US sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following years of a civil war.

In December, opposition factions led by HTS ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president and said he wanted to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

HTS was previously known as al-Nusra Front when it was al-Qaeda's Syria branch. It broke off ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

In May, Sharaa met with Trump in Riyadh where, in a major policy shift, the Republican president unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the revocation will come into effect on Tuesday.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order terminating US sanctions program on Syria, a move that aims to end the country's isolation from the international financial system.

Syria's foreign ministry told Reuters that the lifting of sanctions on HTS was a "positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement."

The written statement said Syria hoped the move would "contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation."

The ministry also said that Sharaa was planning to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The UN Security Council still has sanctions on both HTS and Sharaa himself, which require a Council decision to remove.