French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to lower tensions between France and two Maghreb countries, Morocco and Algeria. He assured that he would continue to "move forward" with Rabat and Algiers, beyond "controversies".
A new Saharan sand cloud has arrived in France and particularly the Pyrenees since Monday, February 20. At the origin of this phenomenon, a depression, located between the west of the Maghreb and Spain.
While France tries to play a balancing act between Morocco and Algeria, it is having trouble normalizing its relations with these two Maghreb countries. Aboubakr Jamai, a Maghreb specialist and professor of international relations in Aix-en-Provence, discusses the causes.
In France, employees of Maghrebi origin at the post office bank are victims of racism. Messages read in a WhatsApp group show the extent of the phenomenon.
Morocco’s remarkable participation in the World Cup in Qatar has allowed it to strengthen its position in the Arab world and also to assert its presence on the international stage.
Morocco is showing less interest in "made in France" weapons. It remains France’s top customer in the Maghreb, however.
The Moroccan passport ranks 79th in the annual ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, maintaining its position as the second most powerful passport in the Maghreb.
Algeria has just ended the suspense. It has decided not to renew the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline crossing Morocco, whose contract expires on October 31, thus closing the tap on its western neighbor.
Amar Belani, special envoy for the Maghreb and the Sahara, warns that "the risks of escalation" between Morocco and the Polisario, protected by Algeria "are serious". He therefore calls on the UN Security Council to address the Sahara issue with "lucidity and responsibility".
Faced with the uncertainty surrounding the renewal of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline (GME) contract, Morocco is active in the construction of a station to transform liquefied gas into natural gas. In this sense, the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development has extended the duration of the call for tenders launched on March 23, 2021.
José Manuel Albares, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, says that Algeria did not reassure him about the renewal of the contract on the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline during his official visit to Algeria at the end of September.
The tensions between Morocco and Algeria continue to elicit comments. Pierre Vermeren, professor of contemporary history of the Maghreb at the University of Paris I, believes that the Maghreb is the big loser in this crisis.