Morocco, Algeria stress necessity of complementary partnership

Morocco and Algeria stressed in Rabat Friday the necessity of a complementary partnership, based on the specific relations binding them.

This came at the first meeting in Rabat of the Moroccan-Algerian commission of economic affairs, created following the recent talks in Algiers between the two states' foreign ministers, June 15-16.

The meeting pondered aspects of bilateral cooperation in relevant realms and issued recommendations pertaining to economy, trade, finance, investments, energy, transport and environment, the Moroccan department of foreign affairs and cooperation said in a release.

The commission of economic affairs is co-chaired by heads of the two foreign departments' Arab affairs sections.

The two neighbor states' relations are marred by the Sahara conflict, where Algeria is politically and militarily supporting the Polisario separatists, who claim secession of Morocco's southern provinces, known as "western Sahara."

The Sahara is a former Spanish comlony retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid tripartite accords, signed with Mauritania and the former colonial power.

Despite calls for talks between the Maghreb's most populated countries over the conflict, Algeria has always declined any involvement in the issue.