Algeria is actively promoting membership in its North African project, a political and economic initiative aimed at regional integration. Following a tripartite meeting on March 3 in Algiers between Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, President Abdelmajid Tebboune discussed the project with his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Cheikh Ould El Ghazouani, on Tuesday, March 5. Notably, Mauritania was not present at the aforementioned meeting held in the Algerian capital. «The President of the Republic informed the Mauritanian President about the Maghreb tripartite meeting which brought together the Presidents of Algeria, Tunisia and Libya at the conclusion of the 7th summit of the Forum of Gas Exporting Countries» held in Algiers, according to a press release from the Algerian presidency. The three participants agreed to reconvene in Tunisia after Ramadan. Before this meeting, Algeria hopes to bring Mauritania to the talks for its Maghreb project. This move is seen as a way to counter the Moroccan initiative aimed at facilitating access to the Atlantic Ocean for Sahel countries, which has attracted Mali, Niger, Chad, and Burkina Faso. Mauritania, so far, has chosen to stay neutral on the Moroccan project. It's worth noting that in May 2023, amidst tensions with the Arab Maghreb Union's secretary general, Tunisia's Taïeb Baccouche, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for «the activation of Maghreb action on clear and unifying principles without any preconditions». This was likely a reference to the Western Sahara issue.
