Tunisian prime minister in Morocco for Moroccan-Tunisian high commission
Morocco-Tunisia, Economics, 7/15/2003

Tunisian prime minister, Muhammad al-Ghanoushe, arrived Monday in Rabat where he will co-chair with Moroccan peer, Driss Jettou, the 11th session of the Moroccan-Tunisian High Commission scheduled this July 14-15.

The Tunisian premier said he will convey a "message of friendship and respect" from Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to King Mohammed VI.

Al-Ghanoushe also expressed intent to endeavor with Moroccan peer to relations between the two North African countries and underscored that the joint commission will assess bilateral ties and identify means to consolidate them.

The two states are bound by several bilateral and multilateral agreements, including a free trade agreement signed in 1999 and the Declaration of Agadir that was signed in May 2001 between Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt.

Morocco and Tunisia, two member-countries, together with Algeria, Libya and Mauritania, of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) have also many challenges in common, notably the need to upgrade their industry to face effects of globalization and of the Mediterranean free trade zone between the European Union and countries of the South of the Mediterranean projected in 2010.

The visit of king Mohammed VI to Tunis on may 24, 2000 and that of Tunisian president to Morocco on July 18-19, 2001 gave a new impetus to relations between the two countries.

The two Maghreban states, whose bilateral economic and trade exchanges increased from 122 million Tunisian Dinars in 2000 (US $146 million) to 151.8 million Dinars (US $182 million) in 2001 are hoping to reach US $500 million annually in trade and economic exchanges.

The absence of direct sea, road and rail transport remains a stumbling block in this cooperation. Passenger movement is operated by the two countries' airliners (Morocco's RAM and Tunisia's Tunis Air) that signed in July 2001 a Code Share agreement.

Previous Stories:
  King Mohammed receives Tunisian foreign minister   (7/5/2003)
  Tunisia FM arrives in Morocco   (7/4/2003)
  Casablanca-Tunis railway link likely to be re-established   (5/8/2003)
  Morocco, Tunisia want to increase trade   (6/14/2002)

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