Bessem Ben Dhaou –
SFAX (Tunisia). During the visit of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Tunis, two financing agreements were signed with the other group in Tunisia, in the person of President Kais Saied, in the framework of bilateral discussions when discussing migration or -regular
A note from the president of Tunisia says that Saied and Meloni, at the end of the negotiations, took part in the signing ceremony of the agreement aimed at supporting the general budget of the Tunisian state.
The press release reports that an agreement was also signed between the Central Bank of Tunisia and the Italian Association of Investments and Loans, according to which the latter will support and finance small and medium-sized businesses in Tunisia, without ‘ specification of the figures.
In addition, a “memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Italian Ministry of University and Research for cooperation in the sectors of higher education and scientific research” was signed.
Meloni arrived in Tunisia for a one-day visit, the fourth to an Arab country in less than a year, and Italian media confirmed that the aim was to deal largely with the issue of irregular immigration from the Tunisian coast to Italy .
The statement from the Tunisian president reads that during the talks with Meloni, Saied praised “the important trend seen in the exchange of visits between the two countries at different levels”, and that “Tunisia has important opportunities and Italy for diversification methods. cooperation, partnership and exchange, not only in traditional areas but also in new and promising sectors”, without, however, clarifying which sectors they are.
Saied also confirmed “the strong position of Tunisia, which refuses to be a settlement or a transit point for irregular migrants” towards Europe. However, the Tunisian president called for “a general approach that take on the issue of migration and the fight against human and organ trafficking networks in the south and north of the Mediterranean”.
In this regard he said that Tunisia, which “closely adheres to humanitarian values”, has “made great efforts to take care of irregular migrants, but cannot, as a rule of law, accept to illegal conditions on his land.
Saied emphasized that “irregular immigrants are victims of the global economic system, and Tunisia was not one of the causes, but one of its victims. In addition, these flows towards our country clearly indicate that there are criminal groups behind them.”
Tunisia has recently seen a significant increase in immigration levels to Europe, especially to the Italian coast, against the background of the economic and political crisis in the country and various countries in the region.
In September 2023, the European Commission announced the allocation of 127 million euros in aid to Tunisia, which is within the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed with the European Union, part of which is aimed at the flow reduce migration.
