The President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, delivered a speech on Thursday, July 24, 2021, on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Tunisian army.
From Carthage, where a ceremony was held in the attendance of many units and high-ranking officers of the Tunisian army, the Head of State declared his opposition to the presence of foreign forces in Tunisia, whether by a passage on the ground or via a permanent military base.
Welcoming the efforts of the Tunisian army notwithstanding the shortage of resources, Mr Saïed said that the national sovereignty was and would never be the question of negotiation. In this same context, he noted the anti-terrorist operations conducted by the military forces in collaboration with the security forces, remarking that “the enemies who lay mines and carry out terrorist operations will never realise their sordid objectives”.
The Head of State likewise mentioned the peacekeeping missions in which units of the Tunisian army participated in particular in Mali and the Central African Republic as part of the support given to the United Nations multidimensional integrated mission for stabilization in the Central African Republic (Minusca).
“The army was created to be a school where we learn sacrifice and duty”, he stated ,adding “We will never forget our martyrs, our injured and their families”. “No one can dispute the services of our armed forces provided in several areas”, he added, recalling the speed of execution of the units mobilized for the installation of field hospitals in the governorates hit by the Covid pandemic.