During a press conference hosted by Antonio Tajani, with his Tunisian counterpart, Nabil Ammar, in Rome.
Italy wants the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to grant unconditional financing to Tunisia, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday (April 13th) in Rome, according to local media.
The head of the Italian diplomacy was speaking at a press conference with his Tunisian counterpart, Nabil Ammar, who has started a two-day visit (April 12 and 13) to Rome.
“Our proposal is to start financing Tunisia, through the IMF, and to pay, after a first tranche, a second tranche with the progress of the reforms”, explained Antonio Tajani, who adds that this financing “should not be totally conditional on the conclusion of the reform process”.
Tajani who is also deputy prime minister, further said that Rome was working with Tunis to solve the problem of irregular migration.
The Italian official observed that the Tunisian government is open to any cooperation in border control, stressing that the two countries consider the fight against smugglers as a “crucial issue”.
On Tuesday, the Italian Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, declared a national state of emergency on immigration, in an attempt to stem the unprecedented influx of migrants via the Mediterranean Sea.
During his speech, the head of Tunisian diplomacy stressed the need to fight against irregular migration, indicating that Tunisia is open to strengthening cooperation with its partners to fight against human trafficking and to protect migrants.
Ammar also asserted that “all skeptical or non-positive messages in relation to Tunisia (…) do not help the Tunisian economy and therefore feed all the scourges, including illegal migration”.
“Helping the Tunisian economy also means fighting against irregular migration,” he argued.
Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed declared on April 6 that “the dictates of the IMF are unacceptable”.
“As far as the IMF is concerned, dictates from abroad that lead to further impoverishment are unacceptable,” Saïed insisted, adding that the alternative for Tunisians is to “rely on ourselves.”
Tunisia is mired in a serious economic and financial crisis. The country also suffers from a chronic budget and trade deficit and a continuous devaluation of its currency against the dollar and the euro.
The Tunisian authorities have been negotiating for several months with the IMF to obtain a loan of 1.9 billion dollars. However, discussions between the two parties have stalled since an agreement in principle was announced in mid-October. The international financial institution is demanding economic reforms from Tunis and the lifting of subsidies on certain basic products.
