Tunisia Seeks to Mend Diplomatic Ties with Morocco After Years of Tension

"The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to overcome the differences with Morocco and seeks to establish balanced and equitable relations with all the capitals of the Greater Maghreb, by putting an end to the diplomatic stalemate with the Kingdom of Morocco, which has lasted for nearly three years," a source close to the Tunisian ministry told Hespress. Tunisia "is animated by a strong and determined will to normalize its relations with Morocco and to open a new page with the Moroccan brothers," the same source said, adding that "the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has undertaken a number of initiatives in this regard in recent times," and that "these initiatives have encountered some difficulties."

Some Tunisian politicians and human rights defenders attribute responsibility for the deterioration of relations with Morocco to President Kaïs Saïed, whom they accuse of having displayed his position in favor of the Polisario and Algeria, its ally, to the detriment of Morocco in the Sahara conflict. These observers of Tunisian sociopolitical life have called on their authorities to multiply initiatives to warm up relations with Rabat.

To recall, Morocco had recalled its ambassador to Tunisia, after Kaïs Saïed received the Polisario Front leader during the Africa-Japan summit (TICAD) held in Tunis in 2022. In a statement, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs had described the act as a "serious and unprecedented fact that hurts the feelings of the Moroccan people and its active forces," denouncing Tunisia’s efforts to multiply "negative positions and actions targeting Morocco and its supreme interests." In response, the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated that Brahim Ghali’s presence at this summit was part of the African Union, reaffirming its availability to preserve friendly and brotherly relations with Rabat.

However, the positions of the Tunisian authorities seem to prove the contrary. Their involvement in the tripartite Maghreb project announced by Algeria, as well as their attachment to the principle of "the right of peoples to self-determination," testify to this. The Sahara issue remains a priority for Morocco. "We expect from certain countries, whether they are traditional or new partners of Morocco, who adopt unclear positions concerning the Moroccanness of the Sahara, that they clarify their positions and revise them in such a way that they do not lend themselves to any ambiguity," King Mohammed VI said in his speech on the Revolution of the King and the People.