On the occasion of France’s National Day, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Foreign Affairs Nabil Ammar underlined the two countries’ and peoples’ shared aspirations and goals and their efforts to achieve them.
In his address at a ceremony organised to mark the occasion, attended by France’s ambassador to Tunisia André Barrin, Ammar said that “if we are to move forward in harmony, we need to recognise and respect our different backgrounds, contexts, cultures and historical moments.”
“For it is with this intelligent reading of situations and a long-term vision that protects and preserves what is essential, that we can nurture this mutual understanding and this strategic and fruitful partnership for both sides, on an equal footing,” reads a foreign department press release.
The FM praised the quality of agreement and exchanges between Presidents Kais Saied and Emmanuel Macron, which he considered to be a great impetus for relations between the two countries, “which are also cooperating intensively and successfully on the international stage, in various forums, to face up to the considerable challenges that we can only meet together, or in groups of united countries.”
“At every stage of my recent working visit to France, I perceived this strong and sincere commitment on the part of my interlocutors to further foster bilateral relations, notably in the cultural and economic fields,” he added.
Ammar underlined in this regard, the scale of the messages conveyed by the French people’s revolution, which has “considerably enhanced France’s position and contribution to world affairs.”
“This reminds me, of course, of the universal nature of the message of the Tunisian people, throughout their history, in their ongoing quest for a decent and free life. For those who have always lived in their land, and for those who are joining them. With intelligence, with flexibility, with resilience, but without concessions or violence,” he said.
“We are proud, in Tunisia, to be this fertile land, which integrates and synthesises, for the better, all the differences of origin, which are so many diverse riches that complement and multiply each other,” he stated.
The minister also paid tribute to people with dual nationality, who are “the children of both countries, and for whom we must work tirelessly to ensure that they also feel protected and supported.”
“A large number of them have contributed so much to the reputation of our two countries, in all fields and at all times,” he recalled.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse