Arab Maghreb Union to Hold First Summit in 25 Years, Reviving Regional Cooperation

Since 1994, no meeting has been held by the Heads of State of the five member countries, due to the diplomatic crisis between Rabat and Algiers. An incident that, according to Alyaoum24, has impacted the activities of the Union for more than a quarter of a century.

At the Congress on "the impact of the continental free trade area on Maghreb economies", held in the Moroccan capital, the Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union declared that "the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement faces many challenges in the Maghreb region and in the face of the security situation in Libya".

In March 2018, 50 African countries had ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, which will gradually abolish customs duties between the 55 member countries.

To this end, a meeting of Maghreb foreign ministers will be scheduled in Nouakchott, in order to develop a common strategy for the implementation of the continental agreement.