Tunisia: Jerandi receives the G7 ambassadors

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Othmen Jerandi welcomed this Thursday afternoon, April 7, 2022, the G7 ambassadors, which are the United States of America, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the United Kingdom, in addition to the Ambassador of the European Union and in the attendance of several officials of the ministry.

The meeting was a chance to examine a number of topics of common interest at the regional and international levels, and the resulting multidimensional challenges in the humanitarian, security, political and economic dimensions, as well as the development of the internal situation of our nation in the light of the political dates to come. The meeting took place in an environment of frankness and transparency, where the minister emphasised that Tunisia’s ties with the G7 are strategic relations based on mutual trust and respect.

Stressing that our country has proved its openness to all its regional and international partners and in communication with them on all issues raised or which may seem obscure, all within the framework of respect for its national sovereignty and the independence of its decisions.

Mr Jerandi asserted that democracy in Tunisia is a fixed matter and that the following political elections announced by the President of the Republic represent a step towards the consolidation of a solid and lasting democratic system that fulfils the aspirations of the Tunisian people and ensures their rights and freedoms. In reply to a number of questions raised by the ambassadors, in particular concerning the significance of a participatory approach to the process and the space available for civil society and associative work, the minister declared that the next elections will take place within the deadlines and under the oversight of the Independent Authority for the Elections. Adding that these elections will be preceded by a national dialogue based on the results of the national consultation which was open to all citizens of different affiliations to express themselves on the principal trends and reforms. Reforms will be presented to a referendum so that the Tunisian people have their last word.

The minister also inspected the most important efforts made to revive the national economy and lay the foundations for a new development model that answers to current challenges and ensures a proper life for Tunisians by beginning to prepare the development tripartite 2023-2025 plan and Tunisia’s development plan.

In this context, he emphasised the progress of the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and affirmed Tunisia’s aspiration to profit from the support of its partners to reach an agreement with this financial institution. For their part, the G7 ambassadors accentuated the importance of continuing the dialogue with the various actors and components of Tunisian society on political and economic issues, in order to ensure a consensus on the proposed solutions and their sustainability. They renewed their countries’ commitment to supporting Tunisia in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, underscoring the importance of taking advantage of upcoming meetings with the Fund in order to announce a comprehensive, lasting and viable reform program that Tunisia intends to undertake. At the regional and international level, the Minister underlined that the stability of Libya is a collective obligation, given the negative repercussions on the region as a whole which may possibly hamper the political process. The Minister again referred to the terrorist threats in the Sahel and Sahara region and the necessity to unite regional and international efforts to deal with them, given their repercussions on the various Mediterranean regions.

Developments in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict were also one of the focuses of the meeting, where the refusal of military intervention to solve problems between States and the need to find a peaceful and lasting solution to this conflict were stressed. within the framework of international legitimacy and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.