Morocco’s policy towards Africa disturbs Algeria…and Europe enhances confidence in Rabat

In its most prominent political papers related to the Maghreb region, the German Friedrich Naumann Stiftung Foundation revealed that “the Corona pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war have made Morocco stronger at the economic and diplomatic levels, after it became one of the most prominent African economies, in addition to its presence at the level of official and unofficial institutions on the continent.”

The German Foundation’s report stated that “the Russian-Ukrainian war enabled Morocco to establish itself as a major player in the global food basket, at a time when it has 70 percent of the global reserve of phosphate, as it had previously been trying to meet the global demand for this substance, of which its exports rose in the year 2021 by 59 percent.”

The quarterly document, which comprehensively monitored the Moroccan-Algerian competition in the African region politically and economically, highlighted that “Morocco was able to overcome the economic repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, as the prices of basic materials remained surrounded by public support, at a time when it remained keen to ensure African food security as a whole by engaging in a campaign of investments.” Directed south.

The same source also drew attention to the fact that “despite the decline in traditional partnerships, Morocco still maintains its position in the region as the largest trading partner of the European Union, which in turn remains the largest global investor in Rabat, through its continued and generous support for the energy transition projects in which the Kingdom has engaged.” “This was strengthened by cooperation with Washington at the political level.”

The organization behind the issuance of this report attributed European confidence in the Kingdom to its “political stability and inclination towards reform, and its ability to gain geopolitical weight in the region, which contributed to it becoming a partner of Europe in the field of migration and security in the countries of the southern Mediterranean, where it is still involved in providing humanitarian conditions for refugees coming from Southern countries.

At a time when it devoted another space to explaining the economic situation of Algeria, the same document returned to indicating that “Morocco is moving towards the depths of Africa with a mixture of development, economic, political and religious initiatives in light of its return to the African Union since 2016, and its clinging for decades to its religious diplomacy with the south and its adherence to the Moroccan model.” In religiosity.”

In this regard, the same source pointed out that “Moroccan foreign policy towards Africa has begun to be met with a kind of suspicion and impotence on the part of Algeria, which has realized that its influence in Africa is continuing to erode despite its fundamental backwardness,” indicating that “the Kingdom was invaded within the framework of its openness to the depths of Africa.” Vital areas, including agriculture through partnerships with the World Bank and important investments being implemented in the south.”

The report also stated regarding Moroccan alliances and partnerships with abroad that “Despite its inclination towards the West, Rabat has tried to diversify and consolidate its partnerships with Asia, including China, at a time when strategic relations with the United States are still intact, especially after its support for the southern regions of the Kingdom, and its continuation of the partnership.” With Washington militarily, including the African Lion maneuvers and the emergence of calls to move the AFRICOM center from Germany to Morocco.”