Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita visits Mauritania to dispel misunderstandings

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita visited Mauritania, Tuesday. In Nouakchott, he was received by his counterpart Ismail Ould Cheikh. The Minister is expected to also meet Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.

According to Mauritanian newspaper Anbaa.info, the visit is «meant to dispel misunderstandings», referring to the Moroccan Foreign Ministry’s recent statement on ties with Mauritania. In February 4, Bourita said during a House of Councilors’ meeting that «relations with Mauritania and Algeria are worse than the ones with Spain».

The Mauritanian government responded to Bourita’s statement by canceling the presence of its Minister of Culture and Handicrafts at the opening ceremony of the Casablanca International Publishing and Book Fair (SIEL).

Bourita’s move also comes just five days after Ismail Ould Cheikh visited Algeria, carrying a message from President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani to Abdelmajid Tebboune.

In Algiers, the Minister of Foreign Affairs notably welcomed the Algerian mediation on the Libyan file.