The agreement includes €105 million in aid to combat irregular immigration and €150 million in budgetary aid…reports Asian Lite News
The Tunisian presidency has stated that Tunisia and the European Union (EU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on strategic and comprehensive partnership.
According to official reports, the MoU was signed in the presence of Tunisian President Kais Saied, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
According to official statements, the MoU was inked for a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the EU and Tunisia, with a focus on renewable energies, economic development, and irregular migration.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte accompanied von der Leyen to Tunisia after the trio’s first visit a month ago, during which they proposed this partnership.
According to Meloni, the partnership between Tunisia and the European Union “can be considered a model for the establishment of new relations with North Africa.”
Rutte, for his part, felt that “the agreement will benefit both the European Union and the Tunisian people,” as the EU is Tunisia’s leading trading partner and investor.
The agreement includes €105 million in aid to combat irregular immigration and €150 million in budgetary aid, at a time when Tunisia is strangled by debt and is short of cash.
Another €900 million could be provided to Tunisia in the form of loans over the coming years.
“Today, we urgently need a collective agreement on the issue of inhumane immigration,” Saied said during a joint press conference held in the capital Tunis with the visiting European leaders.
Saied also said that the Tunisian people have provided illegal immigrants with all the necessary help and support, and stressed that the country is “determined to meet the challenges of the current situation.”
Von der Leyen assured that the EU “is working for prosperity and a better future for the whole region, especially Tunisia and its people.”
“It is a major step to build a solid partnership to face the scourge of illegal immigration that harms both shores of the Mediterranean,” Meloni said.
Although Tunisian authorities have adopted rigorous measures to tackle the problem, the number of illegal immigrants from Tunisia to Italy has been on the rise.
The Tunisian National Guard said that Tunisian navy rescued 108 illegal immigrants of different African nationalities off the coast of the southeastern province of Sfax.
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