Morocco–Saudi Arabia relations () refers to the current and historical relations between the

Kingdom of Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

and

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

. Morocco has an embassy in

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

and Saudi Arabia has an embassy in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

. Both the two

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

nations have long and traditional friendly relations based on many historical commons. Both Morocco and Saudi Arabia are monarchies ruled by the respective families of the 'Alawis and the Al-Sauds, adhere to

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...

, and their relationship is described as traditionally strong. Both the countries are members of the

Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...

. The two countries then experienced hiatus in relations for a year, before the

February 2019 Warsaw Conference February 2019 Warsaw Conference, commonly known as the US-led Middle East conference in Warsaw, took place on 13 and 14 February 2019 in Warsaw, capital of Poland. The conference was hosted by Poland and the United States. According to the joint ...

once again stabilized the relations. In the past, both Morocco and Saudi Arabia led a campaign which successfully made the

Arabic language Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

an official language of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

History

Contact between the two sides goes back to a long time before the establishment of the first Saudi state, when the sultan of Morocco Ismail bin Sharif sent an important message to the

Emir of Mecca Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremo ...

Saad bin Zaid. When the reform movement of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab appeared, a message arrived from the

Hijaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provinc ...

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

to convey the call of Sheikh Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, and that was during the reign of Sultan

Sulayman Sulayman (Arabic: سُلِيمَان ''sulaymān'') is an Arabic name of the Biblical king and Islamic prophet Solomon meaning "man of peace", derived from the Hebrew name Shlomo. The name Sulayman is a diminutive of the name Salman (سَلْ ...

, who commissioned the scholars of the villagers to respond to the message, so he sent his son Ibrahim at the head of the delegation of pilgrims and scholars to respond to that message. The Moroccan sultan Sulayman was inspired by this Islamic revivalist movement and used his authority to condemn the use of music and dance in religious ceremonies, and banning pilgrimages to saintly shrines and religious festivals, even having the qubba over his father's grave removed in 1812, arguing that it was excessive ornamentation.

Recent relations

Iran

Morocco and Saudi Arabia have together taken steps to curb Iranian influence in the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. Morocco and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

resumed diplomatic relations in 2015, however Morocco cut diplomatic ties with Iran on 1 May 2018 after it supported the separatist Polisario Front in the disputed

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

militarily and financially against Morocco. Saudi Arabia is also cautious and hostile of Iran, especially with the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict. In 2019, both Morocco and Saudi Arabia sent delegations to participate in the

. The conference saw both two nations once again stabilized the relationship to normal, with both denounced Iran together.

Western Sahara status

Saudi Arabia has typically supported Morocco over the dispute of

and doesn't recognize the legitimacy of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. It also supported Morocco by sending economic and military aid during the Western Sahara War (1975–1991). Saudi Arabia also helps fund several projects in the region with support from Moroccan authorities. In February 2019, Morocco ended its involvement in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, with foreign minister

Nasser Bourita Nasser Bourita ( ar, ناصر بوريطة; born ) is a Morocco, Moroccan diplomat serving as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates (Morocco), Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Ex ...

citing "developments on the ground" in Yemen, "especially in regards to the humanitarian situation". Saudi state television network Al Arabiya later aired a documentary challenging the Moroccan claim to the Western Sahara. Morocco responded by recalling its ambassador to Saudi Arabia. However, ties between the two were enhanced after a few years.

Yemeni Civil War

During the current

Yemeni Civil War Yemeni Civil War may refer to several historical events which have taken place in Yemen: *Alwaziri coup, February – March 1948 *Yemeni–Adenese clan violence, 1956–60 *North Yemen Civil War, 1962–70 *Aden Emergency, 1963–67 *South Yemen#Di ...

, Morocco participated as part of the anti- Houthi coalition led by Saudi Arabia, with 6 warplanes and 1,500 troops, and ended its participation in February 2019.

Qatar crisis

Morocco has taken neutral stance in the conflict, hoping for a better resolution that would benefit

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

, the former having participated together with Morocco in the anti-Houthi campaign. Morocco even offered to act as a mediator to slow the tensions between the two Gulf Arab states.

References

External links

Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in RiyadhEmbassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Kingdom of Morocco
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morocco-Saudi Arabia relations

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...