Will Tunisia, Algeria relations recover through land border reopening?
Several issues, including gas and the dispute over the Western Sahara, continue to linger over the tense Algerian-Tunisian relations, despite the reopening of the land borders between the two countries.
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied’s recent visit to Algeria has seemingly succeeded in breaking the stalemate that has plagued the relations between the neighboring countries and sparked widespread speculations.
On July 5, Saied headed to Algiers upon an invitation from his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune to attend the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of Algeria’s independence from France.
Speaking alongside Saied at the end of his visit, Tebboune announced that land borders between the two countries would reopen July 15.
The announcement represented a breakthrough in the silent crisis between the two countries as the closure of the land borders has heavily affected Tunisia in particular. The North African country, which has been grappling with a severe economic crisis for the past two years, heavily relies on the crossings, which are a major source of tourism and commerce for Tunisia.
