The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad said that the document published by the European side on the disbursement of pound 60 million to Tunisia is related to the programme “Support for the efforts of the Tunisian government to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19 and achieve economic recovery” for 2021 and has nothing to do with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership signed in Carthage on July 16, 2023. In a statement on Thursday evening, the ministry pointed out that the European side is publishing for the second time official Tunisian working documents related to the disbursement of this amount, “contrary to the usual practice”. It added that the various official letters published for this purpose by European sources were characterised by “lack of clarity and contradictions”, which led to misleading public opinion. He stressed that Tunisia remains committed to its obligations arising from its strategic partnership with the European Union and in the spirit of a fruitful and friendly partnership between the two parties, within the framework of mutual respect that marked the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had announced in its statement on Wednesday evening that the Tunisian authorities had not given their consent to the disbursement of pound 60 million in budget support from the European Union, following the news about that disbursement published on the same day. During his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar, on October 2, President Kais Saied declared that “Tunisia, which accepts cooperation, does not accept anything resembling charity or favour”. He added that “Tunisia and its people do not seek sympathy, but rather reject it if it lacks respect,” according to the statement. Saied expressed Tunisia’s rejection of what the European Union has announced in recent days, “not because of the tiny amount, but because this proposal contradicts the Memorandum of Understanding signed in Tunisia and the spirit that prevailed at the Rome conference last July, which was held on a Tunisian-Italian initiative”.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse