Algeria vehemently denounced and vowed to respond “by all appropriate means” to Morocco’s seizure of three parcels of property in Rabat which had belonged to the Algerian embassy, a move justified by Morocco’s need to expand its administrative and diplomatic infrastructure.
In an initiative to modernize its diplomatic infrastructure, Morocco has initiated a procedure to expropriate three buildings in Rabat belonging to Algeria, according to the official bulletin of March 13, 2024.
This expansion project aims to develop the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The targeted buildings include spaces of 619 m² (630 m² with residential and office facilities), and 491 m² with a villa entitled, “Rising Sun Villa” (Villa du Soleil Levant). Rabat says the premises are a “public utility,” in accordance with law no. 81-7 of April 16, 1982.
A Moroccan official source has assured that the expropriation procedure does not concern the Algerian embassy or chancellery, as they are governed and protected by diplomatic protocols.
Algeria condemned in the strongest terms what it saw as a “new escalatory phase” in the already tense relationship between the two countries. Algiers invoked the concept of state jurisdiction over a diplomatic territory.
The proposed confiscation has been described as a violation of international conventions, notably the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The Algerian government provided assurances that it will utilize “all legal means possible” to defend its interests, including those offered by the United Nations.
Algeria had already severed diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021. Algiers had accused Rabat of “hostile acts” against the nation. Several measures followed this break-up, including the closure of Algerian airspace to Moroccan aircraft, the closure of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline, and more recently, the ban on the transit of goods imported from Algeria through Moroccan ports.