ALGIERS - Moroccan King Mohammed VI will not attend the Arab summit today due to "regional bilateral context," confirmed Rabat's foreign ministry Monday.
Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita formally informed the Arab League secretary that King Mohammed VI will not take part in the Arab League Summit, which will kick off later on today in Algiers.
The Moroccan foreign minister said the monarch was one of the first Arab leaders to initially express willingness to participate in the event "to encourage them to also take part in this meeting", but the King has annulled his participation after "several considerations," including the "regional bilateral context."
The regional context refers to ongoing tensions between the two frenemies, Morocco and Algeria, over several issues, particularly Western Sahara and normalisation with Israel.
In August 2021, Algeria decided to cut diplomatic ties and close its airspace with Morocco, citing "hostile" actions from Rabat after openly establishing a "friendship" with Tel Aviv.
The pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique reported on Monday that several reasons triggered the Moroccan king's decision, including the "inappropriate" reception given to the Moroccan foreign minister.
Morocco's FM Nasser Bourita was reportedly not received by his Algerian counterpart upon his arrival in Algiers.
During the pre-summit meeting on Sunday, the Moroccan delegation went tit-for-tat against the Algerian officials over discussing Iran's sponsorship of the separatist Polisario Front which is fighting against Rabat in Western Sahara.
Algeria supports the Polisario Front and considers the disputed territory of Western Sahara an occupied land.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan Association of Media and Publishers said the official Moroccan media delegation was subjected to "pressure, harassment, security investigations, and long waiting hours at Boumediene Airport in Algeria."
"Moroccan journalists were subjected to the most horrific types of treatment by Algerian security services," said the association, as quoted by Moroccan state-owned Maghreb Arab Press Agency (MAP).
Algeria has yet to address the allegations.
In the first Arab summit after normalisation, at least seven Arab leaders are expected to skip the summit, including Saudi's crown prince, the presidents of the UAE and Lebanon, Kuwait's emir, the kings of Bahrain and Morocco, and the Sultan of Oman.
