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Rabat – Tunisia had no right to extend an invitation to the separatist Polisario Front to the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement today.
According to the statement, invitations to the TICAD are only open to countries recognized by Japan, which co-organizes the event with the African Union (AU).
Prior to the conference, 50 invitations were issued to African countries with established diplomatic relations with Japan.
As a result, the statement explained, Tunisia had no right to establish a “unilateral, and specific invitation” to the separatist Polisario Front, “against the explicit will of the Japanese partner.”
On Friday, Morocco withdrew its ambassador from Tunis to express displeasure with Tunisia’s decision to invite and host the leader of the Polisario.
In response, the Tunisian Foreign Affairs Ministry claimed to be surprised by Morocco’s reaction, and said the invitation to the Polisario leader had come from the AU.
According to the Moroccan ministry’s statement, however, it was agreed from the outset — and with the agreement of Tunisia – that only countries that have received an invitation co-signed by the Japanese Prime Minister and the Tunisian President would be able to take part in the TICAD.
An official verbal note issued by Japan on August 19, 2022, “explicitly emphasizes” that this co-signed invitation is “the only and genuine invitation without which no delegation will be allowed to participate in TICAD 8.”
While the episode is largely expected to sour Rabat-Tunis relations, the Moroccan statement hinted at a potential de-escalation if Tunisia reconsiders its apparent challenge to Morocco’s territorial integrity.
The Tunisian president’s invitation of Polisario to the TICAD was of “great surprise” to Morocco, “given that neither the Tunisian government nor the Tunisian people recognize this puppet entity,” said the statement.
Morocco has always been a friend to Tunisia in difficult times, the statement noted, arguing that the Tunisian president’s decision to host Ghali was “an act of hostility” that has nothing to do with the “tradition of Tunisian hospitality.”
Read Also: Morocco Recalls its Ambassador to Tunisia Over Western Sahara
