In Tunisia, the strengthening of bonds took center stage on Monday, April 22nd, with a trilateral meeting between Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed, and the President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Younes Al-Manfi. Upon the invitation of the Tunisian president, this summit was held in Tunis.
This marks the second invitation of its kind following a meeting held during the forum of presidents and gas-producing countries organized by Algeria in March. Following the meeting on Monday, the Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs read a statement outlining measures to strengthen this new Maghreb bloc.
It was decided that joint working groups would be established to coordinate efforts on border security, particularly concerning irregular migration, and to implement major joint investment projects in cereal production and seawater desalination, addressing the climate challenges faced by the three countries. There were no groundbreaking announcements, but rather a clear display of unity around common issues for the Maghreb bloc.
Regional Foundations
From a geopolitical perspective for Algeria, this also entails reestablishing a form of regional foundations, according to researcher Raouf Farrah, due to instability in the Sahel and the crisis in Libya. This follows Algeria’s announcement in February of the creation of five free zones with Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Tunisia, and Libya.
Increased cooperation and more political and economic exchanges are the announced objectives, but it is premature to suggest that this bloc aims to undermine the Arab Maghreb Union, according to political analyst Hasni Abidi.
The economic and political organization, which shares similar ambitions and includes these three countries, as well as Morocco and Mauritania, has been in a state of stagnation for several decades.