Former Tunisian President Calls for Thaw in Morocco-Tunisia Relations Amid Diplomatic Tensions

Speaking during a virtual meeting organized by the Istiqlal Party, the former Tunisian leader addressed several topics related to peace in the sub-region. Marzouki gave his position on the relations between his country and Morocco, the Sahara issue and the importance of the Maghreb Union. The conference, which saw the participation of the party’s diaspora in Europe, was held on the theme: "the current situation and the future of Tunisian-Moroccan bilateral relations following the current diplomatic crisis."

For the main speaker, the invitation of the Polisario leader by the current President of Tunisia to TICAD 8 is a regrettable event and is due to passing circumstances. "It is a summer cloud that is doomed to disappear, given the excellence of the millennial bilateral relations between the two countries and the unwavering brotherhood between the two fraternal peoples," said Marzouki. However, this act by his successor is a dangerous and unprecedented turning point in the fraternal bilateral relations between the two countries, he acknowledged.

Regarding the Maghreb Union, Marzouki indicated that the dissensions created by a certain party are not such as to guarantee the peace advocated by "Morocco, which aspires to improve relations with its Maghreb neighbors, as clearly evidenced by the 2011 Constitution voted by the Moroccan people, where the necessity of "working towards the construction of the Maghreb Union, as a strategic option" is expressly affirmed in the Preamble."

Regarding the Sahara, the former Tunisian president reaffirmed his deep conviction concerning the Moroccanness of the Sahara and the historical sovereignty of the Kingdom over its southern provinces, recalling the deep and unwavering ties between the Sahrawi Moroccans and the Throne. He also denounced the attitude of the Algerian power on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.