"In full respect of Tunisian sovereignty, I told President Saied about the efforts that a friendly country like Italy is making to try to reach a positive conclusion of the agreement between Tunisia and the IMF, which remains fundamental for a strengthening and full recovery of the country". So Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a statement recorded during her official visit to Tunisia.
Meloni lands in Tunis, welcomed at the airport by Prime Minister Bouden
"Even at EU level, Italy has become the spokesperson for a concrete approach to increase support for Tunisia both in the fight against human trafficking and illegal immigration - said Meloni after the bilateral with President Saied -, but also for an integrated support package, funding and important opportunities that Brussels is working on. I am very grateful to the European Commission. To speed up the implementation of this EU package, I have given President Saied my willingness to return soon here to Tunisia also together with President Ursula von der Leyen".
Meloni in Tunis: 'Excellent work on migrants, landings decreased in May'
"Italy and Tunisia are two historically linked nations, two friendly nations, which have very ancient ties and which must know how to cooperate together, more and more and better. As we intend to do," Meloni said in the statement. "The stabilization of the political and security framework, the growth of democracy in Tunisia is obviously indispensable, for Tunisia but also for Italy, and so that we can together reach potential that is extraordinary from our point of view - added Meloni -. In this, which is certainly a difficult period in the international framework, for Tunisia and the whole region, I wanted to confirm to President Saied Italy's support at 360 degrees, support for example for the Tunisian budget, the opening of credit lines in favor above all of development, starting from small and medium-sized enterprises to the agri-food sector. It is a further commitment that is added to the numerous Italian cooperation projects in the country, which amount to 700 million euros overall, and focus attention on the priority sectors, agriculture, education, vocational training, health, basic services".
"There is also the hypothesis that we discussed with President Saied an international conference in Rome on the theme of migration and development - said Meloni after the bilateral - to try to put together all the needs related to a phenomenon that is certainly very impressive and must be addressed at 360 degrees". "We will do our best - he added - to imagine an event of this type in the shortest possible time".
