- Tunis strengthens its economic and humanitarian diplomacy in a tense regional context
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, presented Tuesday before the joint parliamentary committees of Parliament and the National Council of Regions and Districts the main lines of his department’s 2026 budget. He detailed a series of initiatives relating to economic diplomacy, migration cooperation and regional security.
Tunisia works to revise its agreement with the EU
Mohamed Ali Nafti insisted on the need for Tunisia to consolidate its presence on international markets and diversify its partnerships.
In addition to relaunching trade within COMESA, the minister highlighted efforts to strengthen ties with China, Japan, South Korea and the United States, while emphasizing the central role of the European partner, the main player in Tunisian trade.
He announced that Tunisia is currently working on revising its agreement with the European Union, in coordination with several ministries, in order to update its terms and better reflect the national economic reality.
“Tunisia must be economically present throughout the European area,” he said, calling for a renewed partnership based on equity and mutual respect.
Migration: 10,000 supervised voluntary returns
On the migration front, Nafti indicated that his ministry enabled the return of 10,000 irregular migrants to their countries of origin, as part of a voluntary return program carried out with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
He specified that these operations took place “with respect for human dignity”, recalling that most of those concerned are victims of trafficking networks.
The minister underlined the understanding and cooperation of African partner countries, while ensuring that Tunisia is not intended to become a transit zone.
At the same time, he announced the upcoming generalization of the remote passport issuance service and the reorganization of the consular network to better meet the needs of Tunisian communities abroad.
Regional dialogue around Libya
Finally, Nafti revealed that Tunisia has resumed tripartite dialogue with Algeria and Egypt, under the aegis of the United Nations, on the situation in Libya.
This process, according to him, is not intended to interfere in Libyan affairs, but to promote consultation and stability in this neighboring country whose security remains essential for the entire region.
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