The Speaker of Tunisia’s Assembly of the Representatives of the People, Ibrahim Bouderbala, met on Friday afternoon at the Bardo Palace with Bruno Fuchs, chair of the French National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee, who was accompanied by France’s ambassador to Tunisia, Anne Guéguen.
According to a parliamentary statement, the two sides highlighted the positive trajectory of Tunisia–France relations and their shared desire to further strengthen them, notably by stepping up meetings and maintaining regular contact, in order to boost bilateral cooperation across a range of fields.
Discussions also focused on the role of parliamentary ties in consolidating friendship and cooperation. The two officials stressed the need to increase visits and meetings between lawmakers from both countries—particularly through parliamentary friendship groups—to address issues of mutual interest and help achieve the expected goals of cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally, given the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in bringing peoples closer together.
Bouderbala said he was satisfied with the pace of cooperation between the two countries, recalling that France is Tunisia’s leading economic, social and cultural partner. He expressed his wish to further consolidate relations in light of global transformations that require greater efforts and joint action.
He reaffirmed Tunisia’s determination to play an active role within the Francophone space, support cultural exchanges and strengthen ties between peoples, while remaining committed to the values and principles of peace worldwide. He also underlined the importance of consolidating democratic construction and upholding human rights principles and public freedoms in Tunisia—particularly freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate.
For his part, the French lawmaker emphasized the role of elected officials in strengthening friendship and cooperation, reiterating France’s readiness to continue supporting Tunisia. He said rapid international changes call for joint work and collective thinking on strategies to address social, economic and development challenges.
In this context, he referred to his participation in the 39th edition of the Enterprise Days, organized by the Arab Institute of Business Leaders in Sousse, describing it as an opportunity to exchange views and strengthen links between economic stakeholders. He said he firmly believes in intercultural dialogue and joint action to promote peace worldwide, through increased efforts and shared initiatives at both bilateral and multilateral levels, within regional and international organizations and forums.
He also stressed the importance France attaches to its relations with African countries within the Francophone space, and its willingness to strengthen them within a shared vision based on equality and mutual respect.
The meeting was attended by Anouar Marzouki, Vice-President of the Assembly; Dhouha Salmi, the Speaker’s assistant responsible for external relations, Tunisians abroad and migration; and Aymen Bougdiri, chair of the committee on External Relations, International Cooperation, and Tunisians Abroad and Migration.
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