Tunisian diplomat Tarek Ben Salem has been appointed Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) for a three-year term starting June 1.

His appointment, proposed by President Kais Saied and approved by the heads of state of the AMU's member countries, follows the provisions of the 1989 treaty establishing the union.

Ben Salem will replace Taieb Baccouche, who has held the position since 2016. Ben Salem, who joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990, was most recently the Ambassador to the Russian Federation.

The AMU, founded in 1989, consists of Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania.