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Algerian Sources: Mending Ties with Morocco Not Possible at Arab Summit

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra gives a joint press conference with the Finnish Foreign Minister (not in picture) during a Nordic-African Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsinki on June 14, 2022. (AFP)
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra gives a joint press conference with the Finnish Foreign Minister (not in picture) during a Nordic-African Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsinki on June 14, 2022. (AFP)
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Algerian Sources: Mending Ties with Morocco Not Possible at Arab Summit

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra gives a joint press conference with the Finnish Foreign Minister (not in picture) during a Nordic-African Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsinki on June 14, 2022. (AFP)
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra gives a joint press conference with the Finnish Foreign Minister (not in picture) during a Nordic-African Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsinki on June 14, 2022. (AFP)

Political sources in Algeria ruled out the possibility of reconciliation between Algeria and Morocco during the upcoming Arab Summit in Algiers.

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra discussed with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit the preparations for the summit that is scheduled for November.

Recent media reports had spoken of the the possibility that the ties would be restored during the summit.

Government sources dismissed the reports, saying the ties have deteriorated and it is difficult to imagine restoring them at this time.

Algeria severed ties with Morocco in August, accusing it of supporting two organizations it described as "terrorist" and which it blamed for a series of fires in the Kabylia region last summer.

Ahead of his trip to Algeria, Aboul Gheit told Egyptian media that the Arab League had "no intention" of mediating between the two Maghreb countries.

Aboul Gheit's assistant Hossam Zaki said the organization was not seeking a reconciliation before the summit.

He remarked that the situation is unique and the League will not be interfering unless required, adding there were no plans to postpone the summit.

"Preparations are underway […], and there are some pending issues, especially concerning the situation in Morocco and Algeria," he added, urging "everyone to work to improve the Arab environment."

The Algerian Foreign Ministry said talks between Aboul Gheit and Lamamra addressed all aspects of the arrangements related to the summit and international issues of concern to Arab affairs.

Algeria chose November 1 and 2 to hold the summit, coinciding with the anniversary of its revolution against French colonialism.

It is seeking the return of Syria to the Arab League, calling on the Arab countries to support its position.

Last year, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said: "Syria is supposed to be present at the Arab summit."

After the outbreak of the crisis in Syria in 2011, Algeria was hesitant to freeze Damascus' membership, and it did not recall its ambassador from Damascus.

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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).