The chairman of the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries in the European Parliament, Andrea Cozzolino, stressed that the message of King Mohammed VI launched in his speech on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the Throne Day, is a “very important gesture of openness,” which aims to “overcome the historical tensions” between Morocco and Algeria.
On his official Facebook page, the Italian MEP, who is also a member of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Foreign Affairs Committee, noted that “in his speech to the nation to celebrate the Feast of the Throne, the King of Morocco Mohammed VI once again explicitly deplored the tensions with neighboring Algeria, reaffirming his invitation to reopen the land borders between the two North African states, which have been closed since 1994.
“This is a very important gesture of openness, especially in these difficult times linked to the pandemic, which aims to overcome the historical tensions between the two countries,” he wrote.
“As president of the Maghreb delegation in the European Parliament, I can only welcome this message, in the hope that it is a first step towards a relaxation of relations between these two great peoples and that it will lead in the future to the achievement of a true union of the Arab Maghreb,” he stressed.
As a reminder, the Moroccan Sovereign has constantly extended similar invitations to Algeria to reopen its borders, illustrating the spirit of Morocco’s outstretched hand and constant goodwill and its deep conviction in the notion of brotherhood between the Moroccan and Algerian peoples.
He recalled in his speech that “no logic can explain the current situation, especially since the reasons that led to the closure of the borders are totally outdated.”
HA/fss/abj/APA