Status: 08/24/2022 8:57 p.m
Foreign Minister Baerbock meets her Moroccan counterpart in Rabat. It should also be about the recent violent tensions with Germany.
In these times, Berlin does not want to risk losing contact with an important partner in the Mediterranean region. Since taking office, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has done everything in her power to resolve the rifts with Morocco that were severe until recently. Now Baerbock is traveling to Morocco. In the Foreign Office, she speaks of a “new chapter” in mutual relations and an end to the crisis. It is planned to sign a comprehensive declaration on future cooperation with Morocco.
The country in North Africa plays a key role both in overcoming the refugee crisis and in the production of green hydrogen. At the same time, minimizing Russia’s influence in key regions of the world, including Morocco, has been a constant concern for Berlin, at least since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Relationship crisis between Germany and Morocco
One of the reasons why the relationship crisis between Germany and Morocco arose was because the federal government had not invited the country to the 2020 Berlin Libya Conference. And above all because there is a dispute over Western Sahara, south of Morocco, to which Morocco lays claim.
In Berlin, they are relying on the UN-supported negotiation process, as the Federal Foreign Office has now confirmed once again. An autonomy plan presented by Rabat is also considered to be a “good basis”.
The German Foreign Minister is visiting Denmark on Friday. The foreign ministry explains the unusual south-north travel route by saying, among other things, that inaugural visits were still pending in both countries. In Copenhagen, the focus will be on joint climate protection projects, among other things. However, it cannot be ruled out that the issue of visa restrictions for Russian citizens will also play a role. The Federal Government and the Danish Government have quite different views on this.