The Syrian and Moroccan governments agreed on a comprehensive path for relations between the two countries, starting with a political track between the two foreign ministries and extending to economic, educational, and trade cooperation.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, reported that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani announced the opening of the Syrian embassy in Morocco on Thursday, May 14, adding that the Syrian government is awaiting a visit by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita to Damascus to open the Moroccan embassy there.
Al-Shibani said during a joint press conference with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, in Rabat that Syrian-Moroccan relations are on an upward track and continue to advance.
He said the two countries agreed to establish a joint business council and to benefit from “the successful Moroccan experience in many sectors.”
Al-Shibani also thanked the Moroccan government for quickly restoring diplomatic relations with Damascus after the fall of the Assad regime, explaining that the first contact between the two sides took place 20 days after the fall of the former regime, with both sides stressing at the time the need to resume relations.
The Syrian minister described Syrian-Moroccan relations as “historic,” citing the “honorable humanitarian, moral, and political position adopted by the leadership of the Kingdom of Morocco in supporting the aspirations of the Syrian people over the past 14 years,” according to al-Shibani.
Morocco Supports Syrian Government Measures
For his part, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said the Moroccan government supports and welcomes all measures taken under the leadership of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to make the political transition in Syria a success, despite regional conditions and complex contexts.
He said the reopening of Syria’s embassy in Morocco is evidence that relations have returned to normal after being suspended for more than ten years.
Bourita said the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, has always been clear in supporting the Syrian people’s aspirations for freedom and dignity, and clear in supporting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He noted that the political, security, economic, and legal steps taken in Syria are moving the country toward stability and out of the dark phase it had lived through for years.
Rapprochement Between Damascus and Rabat
The Syrian and Moroccan governments have taken several steps to bring their positions closer and improve relations after the strained ties that marked relations during Assad’s rule
The rapprochement steps included the Syrian government’s closure of offices used by Polisario separatists in Damascus, in the presence of Moroccan representatives, on May 27, 2025.
A joint mission including Moroccan and Syrian officials went to the Polisario separatists’ office to inspect the actual closure, according to what Morocco’s official Maghreb Arab Press agency, MAP, published at the time.
On the same date, the Kingdom of Morocco announced that a Foreign Ministry mission was heading to Syria to complete the practical procedures for reopening Morocco’s embassy in Damascus, with the aim of reviving diplomatic relations between the two countries and opening prospects for cooperation between the two peoples.
The Moroccan delegation began talks with senior officials at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, covering the logistical, legal, and diplomatic aspects of the process.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita announced the reopening of Morocco’s embassy after it had been closed since 2012, on May 17, 2025.
Relations between the former regime and Morocco came to a complete halt in July 2012, when the two sides exchanged expulsions of ambassadors. The Moroccan Foreign Ministry justified the step at the time by citing the failure of its efforts to reach a settlement in Syria, while the regime’s move came on the basis of “reciprocity.”
Before 2012, tensions had marred relations between Morocco and the regime because of the latter’s support for the Polisario Front and its recognition, on April 15, 1980, of the “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic,” which Morocco considers a “separatist movement seeking to destabilize the kingdom.”
The conflict over Western Sahara between Morocco and the Polisario Front dates back to the period after the Spanish occupation, specifically to 1975. It later became an armed conflict before coming to a halt under a 1991 ceasefire resolution, based on proposals submitted to the United Nations by the UN secretary-general in 1988.
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