RABAT: Morocco said on Wednesday it expected a return to normal cooperation and diplomatic ties with Germany after Berlin expressed support for Rabat鈥檚 autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara territory.
Morocco had recalled its ambassador to Germany in May in protest over what it described as Berlin鈥檚 鈥渁ntagonistic activism鈥� after the United States in December 2020 recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the territory, which is also claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front movement.
In March, Morocco ordered all governmental departments and bodies to abstain from any cooperation and contacts with the German embassy and German political organizations.
But last week, the diplomatic situation improved after the German foreign ministry issued a statement describing Morocco鈥檚 autonomy plan as an 鈥渋mportant contribution鈥� to finding a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict, in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The Moroccan foreign ministry said in a statement that it welcomed the 鈥減ositive statements...which bode well for a resumption of bilateral cooperation and a return to normalcy in the work of diplomatic representations of the two countries in Berlin and Rabat.鈥�
Morocco has been assertive in pushing European countries and the European Union to follow the United States on its Western Sahara stance. King Mohammed last month said Morocco would not agree 鈥渁ny economic or commercial step that excludes the Moroccan Sahara.鈥�