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Diplomatic Breakthrough: Morocco and Tunisia Signal Potential Rapprochement

Friday 16 August 2024 - 15:15

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In a significant development for North African diplomacy, high-ranking officials from Morocco and Tunisia recently engaged in their first official meeting since a diplomatic rift emerged in 2022. This encounter, which took place on the sidelines of the 80th anniversary ceremonies of the Allied landings in Provence, France, has sparked optimism about a possible rekindling of relations between the two nations.

Morocco's Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, representing King Mohammed VI, met with Tunisia's Foreign Minister, Nabil Ammar, during the event attended by French President Emmanuel Macron. The Tunisian Foreign Ministry promptly shared an image of the meeting on their official Facebook page, underscoring its importance.

This high-level interaction marks a potential turning point in Morocco-Tunisia relations, which have been strained since August 2022. The diplomatic freeze began when Tunisian President Kais Saied received Brahim Ghali, leader of the Polisario Front, during the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) in Tunis. Morocco viewed this as a "serious and unprecedented act," promptly recalling its ambassador to Tunisia. Tunisia reciprocated by withdrawing its ambassador from Rabat the following day.

The Tunisian newspaper Tuniscope characterized the Akhannouch-Ammar meeting as "important" and an opportunity to "affirm the shared desire to develop economic and political relations between the two brotherly countries and end the current situation." Reports suggest that the officials "exchanged smiles and views on ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Tunisia and Morocco."

This diplomatic overture follows encouraging statements made by Tunisia's foreign minister in October 2023. Ammar told the Tunisian newspaper Al Chourouk, "There is no rupture with brotherly Morocco... and there is no hostility... With time, the ambassadors will return to their embassies." Many observers interpreted these remarks as a harbinger of a potential resolution to the nearly two-year-old diplomatic crisis.

Prior to the current tensions, Morocco had been a staunch supporter of Tunisia. In July 2021, King Mohammed VI ordered urgent medical aid to be sent to Tunisia to assist with a severe COVID-19 wave. The Moroccan monarch also made a historic visit to Tunisia in 2014, becoming the first Arab leader to do so in the wake of Tunisia's revolution, thereby bolstering the country's image during a challenging transition period.

However, under President Kais Saied's administration, Tunisia has recently aligned more closely with Algeria, which supports the Polisario separatists in their dispute with Morocco over Sahara. Algeria has been promoting a "New Maghreb" project that excludes Morocco, although this initiative has met with reservations from Tunisia and outright rejection from Libya.

For a lasting normalization of Morocco-Tunisia ties to occur, Tunisia may need to revert to its long-standing position of neutrality on the Sahara issue, a stance that served it well for decades after independence. While the Akhannouch-Ammar meeting represents a tentative first step in this direction, it remains to be seen whether it will lead to a full restoration of the once robust and mutually beneficial relations between these two Maghreb nations.

As both countries navigate this delicate diplomatic landscape, the international community watches with interest. The potential thawing of relations between Morocco and Tunisia could have far-reaching implications for regional stability and cooperation in North Africa.