On Tuesday, Morocco Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani met in Geneva his Tunisian counterpart Youssef Chahed. Their meeting took place four days after Tunisia gained non-permanent UN Security Council seat. Tunisia's nomination comes as its relations with Morocco witnessed a setback after the Esperance vs. Wydad Casablanca game and CAF decision. But way before this crisis, relations between Rabat and Tunis were affected by the Tunisia's presidential elections in 2014, when Moncef Marzouki lost to Beji Caid Essebsi. Youssef Chahed, who was elected president of Tahya Tounes (Live Long Tunisia) in June, is likely to head the country in the future. Chahed is believed to be close to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Morocco has not yet officially congratulated Tunisia for its new position within the UN Security Council. However, the Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister Sabri Boukadoum congratulated his Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui Tuesday in New York. In addition to Tunisia, other countries secured seats in the Security Council, including Niger, Estonia, Saint Vincent, Grenadines and Vietnam. In June 2017, Youssef Chahed paid an official visit to Morocco but was not received by King Mohammed VI.
