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 Morocco |  Tunisia |
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Relations between the Maghreb countries of Morocco and Tunisia were first established in 1956. [1] Both states' territory historically formed a part of the Carthaginian and Roman empires, before becoming protectorates within the French colonial empire.
Both countries are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, African Union, Arab League and Non-Aligned Movement. Morocco has an embassy in Tunis. Tunisia has an embassy in Rabat.
Immediately following their independence, a series of "nationalistic prejudices" arose in both Morocco and the then-Kingdom of Tunisia regarding their relationship with France, and both provided support to the National Liberation Front fighting in the Algerian War. [2] Under Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia officially adopted a neutral policy regarding the Western Sahara conflict. [3]
Following the Tunisian Revolution, interim president Moncef Marzouki made an official visit to Morocco in 2012, in part to discuss a re-establishment of the dormant Arab Maghreb Union. [4] King Mohammed VI also visited Tunisia twice in 2014 and 2015. [5] [6] In January 2020, the king and newly-elected President Kais Saied exchanged a phone call. [7]
A diplomatic crisis emerged in August 2022 following a decision made by Saied to invite Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali, in his capacity as President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, to attend the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), while also personally receiving him upon his arrival. [8] The Moroccan government subsequently announced that it would boycott the conference, and withdrew its national team from a regional karate championship taking place in Tunis. [8] [9] Both countries also recalled their respective ambassadors. [10] A statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates accused Tunisia of "unilaterally" inviting Ghali "in violation of the process of preparation and established rules", to which Tunisia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that it had "maintained its total neutrality on the Western Sahara issue in line with international law". [10] Following continued criticism from Moroccan media, the Tunisian journalists' union denounced what it had termed a "smear campaign". [8]
Morocco is a member of the United Nations and belongs to the African Union, Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Non-Aligned Movement and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD). Morocco's relationships vary greatly between African, Arab, and Western states. Morocco has had strong ties with the West in order to gain economic and political benefits. France and Spain remain the primary trade partners, as well as the primary creditors and foreign investors in Morocco. From the total foreign investments in Morocco, the European Union invests approximately 73.5%, whereas the Arab world invests only 19.3%. As of 2009, many countries from the Persian Gulf and Maghreb regions are also becoming more involved in large-scale development projects in Morocco.
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a part of the Maghreb region of North Africa, bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It features the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan. Known for its ancient architecture, souks and blue coasts, it covers 163,610 km2 (63,170 sq mi), and has a population of 12.1 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern reaches of the Sahara desert; much of its remaining territory is arable land. Its 1,300 km (810 mi) of coastline include the African conjunction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Basin. Tunisia is home to Africa's northernmost point, Cape Angela. Located on the northeastern coast, Tunis is the capital and largest city in the country. Tunisia is named after Tunis.
Former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has maintained Tunisia's long-time policy of seeking good relations with the West, while playing an active role in Arab and African regional bodies. President Habib Bourguiba took a nonaligned stance but emphasized close relations with Europe, Pakistan, and the United States.
The Maghreb, also known as the Arab Maghreb and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb also includes the disputed territory of Western Sahara and the Spanish cities Ceuta and Melilla. As of 2018, the region had a population of over 100 million people.
Muhammad VII al-Munsif, ) commonly known as Moncef Bey was the Bey of Tunis between 19 June 1942 and 14 May 1943. He was the penultimate ruler of the Husainid dynasty.
Muhammad VIII al-Amin commonly known as Lamine Bey, was the last Bey of Tunis, and also the only King of Tunisia.
The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) is a political union and economic union trade agreement aiming for economic and future political unity among Arab countries States that are located primarily in the Maghreb in North Africa. Its members are the nations of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. The Union has been unable to achieve tangible progress on its goals due to deep economic and political disagreements between Morocco and Algeria regarding, among others, the issue of Western Sahara. No high level meetings have taken place since 3 July 2008, and commentators regard the Union as largely dormant.
Algeria and the Tunisia are both predominantly Muslim nations in North Africa. Both countries have historic dynasties primarily focused in Algiers and Tunis that became specialized in piracy and global trade. Eventually these dynasties fell under the influence of the French in the 19th century. Both remained under French control until Tunisian independence became official in 1956 and Algeria became independent after the conclusion of the Algerian War in 1962. Since independence both countries have had periods of antagonism over issues such as border security and terrorism, however it appears that both countries are trending towards a positive relationship. The Algerian-Tunisian border is around 1034 km (642 mi) long and was officially agreed upon in 1960. Both countries are members of the African Union, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Union for the Mediterranean and the United Nations.
Mohamed Moncef Marzouki is a Tunisian politician who served as the fifth president of Tunisia from 2011 to 2014. Through his career he has been a human rights activist, physician and politician. On 12 December 2011, he was elected President of Tunisia by the Constituent Assembly.
The Congress for the Republic, also referred to as El Mottamar or by its French acronym CPR, is a centre-left secular political party in Tunisia. It was created in 2001, but legalised only after the 2011 Tunisian revolution. Its most prominent founder and long-term leader was Moncef Marzouki. He had been the party's honorary president since he became interim President of Tunisia in December 2011.
Beji Caid Essebsi was a Tunisian politician who served as the 6th president of Tunisia from 31 December 2014 until his death on 25 July 2019. Previously, he served as the minister of foreign affairs from 1981 to 1986 and as the prime minister from February 2011 to December 2011.
Arab-Berbersare a population of the Maghreb, a vast region of North Africa in the western part of the Arab world along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Arab-Berbers are people of mixed Arab and Berber origin, most of whom speak a variant of Maghrebi Arabic as their native language, some also speak various Berber languages. Many Arab-Berbers identify primarily as Arab and secondarily as Berber.
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, also known as the Sahrawi Republic and Western Sahara, is a partially recognized state, recognised by 45 UN member states, located in the western Maghreb, which claims the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, but controls only the easternmost one-fifth of that territory. Between 1884 and 1975, Western Sahara was known as Spanish Sahara, a Spanish colony. The SADR is one of the two African states in which Spanish is a significant language, the other being Equatorial Guinea.
The Wafa Movement, sometimes referred to as the Independent Democratic Congress, is a political party in Tunisia.
Parliamentary elections were held in Tunisia on 26 October 2014. Campaigning started on 4 October 2014. They were the first free regular legislative elections since independence in 1956, and the first elections held following the adoption of the new constitution in January 2014, which created a 217-seat Assembly of the Representatives of the People. According to preliminary results, Nidaa Tounes gained a plurality of votes, winning 85 seats in the 217-seat parliament, beating the Ennahda Movement and many smaller parties.
The Movement Party, previously known as the Tunisia Will Movement and by its shortened name Al-Irada, is a Tunisian political party that was founded on 20 December 2015 by former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki.
Presidential elections were held in Tunisia on 15 September 2019, the second direct vote for the presidency since the 2011 revolution. The elections had originally been planned for 17 and 24 November, but were brought forward after the death of incumbent President Beji Caid Essebsi on 25 July to ensure that a new president would take office within 90 days, as required by the constitution.
Kais Saied is a Tunisian politician, jurist and retired law professor currently serving as the 7th President of Tunisia since October 2019. He was president of the Tunisian Association of Constitutional Law from 1995 to 2019.
Moncef Ouannes was a Tunisian sociologist.
Syria–Tunisia relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Republic of Tunisia and the Syrian Arab Republic. Tunisia has an embassy in Damascus. Syria has an embassy in Tunis. Both countries are members of the Arab League and of the Union for the Mediterranean, although Syria was suspended in 2011.
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