Tunisia-Recovery of stolen assets and immigration at the center of Saied-Portugal’s Silva meeting

The president of the republic welcomed Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva at Carthage presidential palace.

The meeting addressed approaches to expand bilateral co-operation and vary its fields, according to a Presidency of the Republic press release. S

The head of the state pointed out on the occurrence, Tunisia’s willingness to foster cooperative relationships with Portugal and the European Union (EU), which is a strategic alliance for Tunisia. “Portugal will assume the periodical presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2021.” Additionally, Saied emphasised the requirement to recover stolen and embezzled assets in some EU nations, recollecting the creation of a committee within the Presidency of the Republic entrusted with ensuring the follow-up of this file.

Concerning the migration issue, Saied called for approaching the root causes of this phenomenon and not just the security solution, which he stated has not shown to be effective. For his part, Silva declared his country’s willingness to assist Tunisia within the European Union structures, prominently regarding the recovery of stolen and embezzled assets abroad. “Portugal is ready to boost co-operation with Tunisia at the bilateral and multilateral levels, particularly in the investment field,” the press release quoted him as saying.