Relationship dossier
Mauritania
Morocco
Relationship assessment
Working bilateral cooperation alongside differing sensitivities over Western Sahara
Mauritania toward Morocco
+25Mauritania has participated in bilateral cooperation with Morocco through their high-level joint commission, including agreements covering multiple areas. Its policy of neutrality on Western Sahara limits the extent of political alignment with Morocco.
Morocco toward Mauritania
+25Morocco has pursued bilateral cooperation with Mauritania through their high-level joint commission and agreements across multiple areas. Morocco recognized Mauritania in 1969, after initially contesting its independence.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines recurring government-to-government cooperation with a persistent political sensitivity over Western Sahara. Joint-commission agreements support practical ties, while Mauritania’s neutral position on the dispute constrains closer strategic alignment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Mauritania and Morocco maintain working bilateral cooperation, including agreements reached through their high-level joint commission. Relations are also shaped by Mauritania’s careful neutrality on Western Sahara, a sensitive issue for Morocco. Cooperation is meaningful but does not amount to an especially close partnership.
Areas of tension
- Mauritania’s neutrality on Western Sahara differs from Morocco’s position on the territory.
Key developments
Morocco recognized Mauritania, having initially contested its independence.
The two governments concluded agreements through their high-level joint commission, covering multiple areas of cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of agreements reached through the high-level joint commission are unclear.
- The practical effects of Mauritania’s Western Sahara policy on bilateral cooperation are uncertain.