The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Washington's recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara is a «breach of international law». Quoted by Sputnik News, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov reminded media in his country that «there are relevant decisions and an international mission to hold a referendum in Western Sahara». «It is a unilateral decision that goes beyond international law and the UN Security Council
A senior Trump administration official confirmed on Thursday that the United States is considering investments worth up to $3 billion in Morocco over three years. According to the New York Times, talks between Rabat and Washington began in 2017 and addressed the promise of recognizing Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara in exchange of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. Quoting two Moroccan officials informed of these talks, the newspaper wrote that the Moroccan
Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine took a new step on Thursday when a group of American experts formally recommended that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorize the vaccine. The agency will likely do so in a few days, prioritizing healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes to begin receiving the vaccine next week, the New York Times reported. The FDA's Vaccine Advisory Group, made up of independent scientific experts, infectious disease physicians and statisticians, had 17 of
Across the Arab world, the announcement of normalization of ties with Israel draws mixed reactions.
Israel's Israir and El Al airlines said Thursday that they were «ready» to operate direct flights between Morocco and Israel, the wake of a normalization agreement between Rabat and Tel Aviv. According to Jerusalem Post, the Israeli airline Israir quickly announced that «within a few months, they would begin 20 flights a week between the two countries», Israir CEO Uri Sirkis said. For its part, the airline El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. said it is examining
«Ankara is against establishing relations with any country at the expense of the Palestinian cause», Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday in the wake of a normalization agreement between Morocco and Israel. According to the Turkish press agency Anadolu, this statement was made during a phone call with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. The agency also indicates that Mevlut Cavusoglu called, on the same day, his Algerian counterpart Sabri Boukadoum.
Rabat and Madrid have agreed to postpone a high-level meeting to February 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The meeting was scheduled for December 17, the two governments said in a joint statement. It is «a crucial meeting for the development of deep relations of friendship and cooperation between the two strategic partners, which are Morocco and Spain», the press release read. But the two kingdoms «noted that the current epidemiological situation prevents the high-level
Prince Hicham Alaoui welcomed, Thursday, the United States’ recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, calling it «courageous». «We want the next administration to continue on the same path», wrote King Mohammed VI's cousin on Twitter. On the other hand, the prince ignored the resumption of diplomatic ties between Israel and Morocco, stressing «Morocco's constant, historical and pragmatic support to the Palestinian cause». He
The United States is about to conclude the sale of four sophisticated large aerial drones to Morocco, three US sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters. The deal is expected to be discussed with members of Congress in the coming days, it added. The four «drones MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones made by General Atomics have a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km) and could survey huge swaths of sea and desert», the same source explained. Said deal with Morocco is one of
It was through its representative in Washington that the Polisario said it «regretted» the announcement of the United States, which recognized on Thursday Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara. «We regret the decision taken by President Trump, but the reality is that Morocco occupies part of the territory of an African Union member state. Such a decision will not change the status of the territory», Mouloud Said declared. «The Saharawi people cannot