Speaking to Tunisie Numérique, political analyst Sghaier Zakraoui voiced his shock at Tunisia’s stance in regard to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to him, this position indicates that Tunisia has almost aligned itself with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), remembering that Algeria abstained from voting.
He clarified that Tunisia should have coordinated with Algeria before voting, highlighting that several citizens were surprised by this decision. “This decision is against the interests of the nation and raises several questions: Is this vote in favour of Tunisia’s foreign policy?” he wondered, reflecting that the tourism sector relies in part on the Russian market.
According to Zakraoui, the negotiations with the IMF justify the position taken by Tunisia. “It is possible that Tunisia had voted under pressure for fear of economic sanctions that could be inflicted by several countries such as America and France which control the fund in question. Tunisia has more interests with NATO more than Russia. The country does not carry the power to make decisions and does not have a solid foreign policy,” he explained, hinting that Tunisia depends on international creditors.