Tunisia’s New President meets speakers of two chambers of Moroccan parliament

President Kais Saied met on Wednesday evening at Carthage Palace with the speakers of the House of Representatives and House of Councilors of Morocco, Habib El Malki and Hakim Benchemach, who represented King Mohammed VI, at the inauguration ceremony of the new Tunisian head of state, said the Presidency in a statement.

President Saied expressed his sincere thanks to King Mohammed VI for his initiative to send a high-level delegation to participate in the inauguration ceremony, highlighting, in this regard, the depth and strength of the historical ties between the two countries.

He also reaffirmed Tunisia’s commitment to further strengthen its relations with Morocco by exploring new formulas and conceptions of co-operation in all areas in order to meet the different challenges and realize the aspirations of the two brotherly peoples for further cooperation, integration and solidarity, the statement added, as reported by TAP news agency.

The Head of State also emphasized the common future of the Maghreb peoples, stressing the importance of promoting Maghreb joint action and activating the institutions of the Arab Maghreb Union as a strategic option to open up new horizons of cooperation to the peoples of the region and promote integration between the Maghreb countries.

Habib El Malki, for his part, extended the congratulations of the Moroccan sovereign to the new President on having earned the trust of the Tunisian people, wishing him every success in his high office.

He praised Tunisia’s achievements in consolidating democracy and freedom, emphasizing the importance of expanding bilateral relations and taking greater advantage of the opportunities for cooperation and partnership between the two countries.

Kais Saied is the second freely-elected president of Tunisia after late president Beji Caid Essebsi, who became president in 2014.

The retired law professor, who is not affiliated with any political party, vowed at his inauguration Wednesday to make of the fight against terror a major area of focus during his five-year presidential term.

During his election campaign, Saied promised to change the rules of the Tunisian political scene by fighting corruption, opacity, and nepotism.