German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is in Morocco for talks with her counterpart Nasser Bourita on Thursday, with both of their countries saying they want to turn the page on months of tension over a territorial dispute.
On her arrival in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, Baerbock said many new ideas for cooperation had been developed and that many good projects from the past had been put on a new footing.
Why were Germany and Morocco at loggerheads?
Germany criticized former US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara region, a stance Rabat saw as “unfriendly.”
The desert region has been claimed by Morocco and the Indigenous Sahrawi family, led by the Polisario Front and backed by Algeria. Polisario is fighting for an independence referendum and has the support of the United Nations.
Berlin said that the territorial dispute should be resolved through negotiations at the UN, leading to a diplomatic standoff with Rabat.
Baerbock and Bourita succeeded in ending the dispute at a video conference in February.
The area still sees occasional clashes despite being monitored by a UN mission.
What partnerships are Germany and Morocco envisaging?
Baerbock has said the area of renewable energy sources was a prime focus.
However, she also said that there was enormous potential for more economic cooperation and exchange of human resources.
Following her visit to the kingdom, Baerbock plans to fly on to Denmark.
tj/rt (dpa, AFP)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/german-foreign-minister-visits-morocco-after-diplomatic-row/a-62923298?maca=en-rss-en-ger-1023-xml-atom