Moroccan ambassador to return to Germany as diplomatic crisis deescalates

The Moroccan ambassador to Berlin, Zohour Alaoui, will return to Germany this week after a near six-month long diplomatic crisis, according to informed diplomatic sources who spoke to Hespress after.

The German embassy in Rabat had previously revealed to Hespress that Morocco had agreed to appoint a new German ambassador, to succeed former German ambassador, Goetz Schmidt-Bremme.

Among the contention areas behind the crisis was Germany’s stance on the Western Sahara issue, after criticizing the United States’ decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the territory.

In addition, Germany had “sidelined” Rabat in negotiations on the future of Libya at a conference in Berlin in January 2020, disregarding Morocco’s pivotal role in the Libyan peace process under the auspices of the United Nations.

The newly elected German government wasted no time in trying to resume diplomatic relations with the Kingdom.

In a statement issued on December 13, the German Foreign Ministry called Morocco “an important link between the North and the South politically, culturally and economically” and a “key partner” of the European Union and Germany in North Africa.

The ministry also stressed that Morocco “plays an important role in the stability and sustainable development of the region” and described the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Western Sahara as an “important contribution” to settling the conflict.

In addition, King Mohammed VI received a message from German President Frank Walter Steinmeier, on the occasion of the 2022 New Year, where the president extended an invitation to the Moroccan monarch to make a “state visit to Germany,” in order to “establish a new partnership between the two countries.”

Germany is one of the main economic and trade partners of the North African kingdom. In 2019, it imported an approximately €1.4 billion of goods from Morocco and exported over €2.2 billion to the country.

Germany is also one of the largest bilateral donors with a total commitment of nearly €1.2 billion in 2020, with almost 300 German companies represented and operational in Morocco.