Morocco and Tunisia have found a common cause to resuscitate the almost forgotten Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) back from the dead.
This was an important subject which featured as the two countries’ foreign minister engaged in a telephone conversation on Wednesday.
The AMU covers an area of 6,046,441 km2 with a population of 102,877,547 and a total GDP of $1.299173 trillion according to 2020 estimates.
Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti received a telephone call on Wednesday from his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Resident Abroad.
Both ministers agreed to work toward breathing new life into the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), a regional organisation founded in 1989, but whose progress has been undermined by political and economic differences of member nations.
Tunisia and Morocco, as founding members, play a key role in promoting Maghreb integration.
Cooperation between Tunis and Rabat is often cited as an example in the region thanks to the two countries sharing a common history, cultural values and similar aspirations for a prosperous and stable future.
The ministers’ conversation comes at a time when regional cooperation has become more troubled than ever, but they reaffirmed their shared commitment to revitalise this dynamic.
The AMU is a regional organisation comprising the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Mauritania.
The dormancy of the AMU is explained by the fact that no high-level meetings have been held since July, 2008 as the gulf widens among its members especially between Morocco and immediate neighbour Algeria over the question of the Moroccan Sahara enclave.
Mr. Bourita praised the confidence placed in Mr. Nafti by the Tunisian president who appointed him to strengthen his country’s diplomatic reach in the region and the world as a whole.
During the meeting, the two ministers emphasised the depth and strength of the fraternal ties that unite the Tunisian and Moroccan peoples.
They expressed their shared desire to further strengthen cooperation between Tunisia and Morocco, stressing the importance of consolidating this cooperation, as well as boosting economic exchanges between the two nations.
Looking beyond the political aspects, Mr. Nafti and Mr. Bourita stressed the importance of strengthening economic exchanges between their respective countries. They agreed on the need to create synergies in various sectors.
These initiatives aim to stimulate economic growth, create jobs and improve the well-being of the populations of both countries.
MN/Sf/ac/fss/as/APA