According to statements by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, on a working visit to Tunis
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced that her country will provide 700 million euros ($763 million) to support vital sectors in Tunisia.
This is what emerges from a speech delivered by Meloni at the end of the meeting she had on Tuesday with Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed, at the presidential palace in Carthage.
Meloni said the funds announced were intended for basic sectors, such as health and services, “with full respect for the sovereignty of the Tunisian state”.
The Italian Prime Minister said her country is pushing for Tunisia and the International Monetary Fund to reach an agreement that takes into account Tunisia’s economic and social reality.
In a separate statement from the Tunisian presidency, President Kaïs Saïed renewed his rejection of any diktat from the IMF, noting that “those who offer ready-made solutions are like a doctor who writes a prescription before having diagnosed the disease”.
Referring to the demands of the International Monetary Fund, he said: “The situation will completely explode… It will not only affect civil peace in Tunisia, but its repercussions will be felt throughout the region, without exception.”
Negotiations between Tunisia and the IMF to obtain a loan of 1.9 billion dollars over 4 years have been stalled since October 2022.
The reason for this blockage is due to the demand for the implementation of an economic reform program, which would include the reduction of subsidies on energy and foodstuffs, as well as the reduction of the wage bill in the function public sector and the restructuring of public enterprises.
“It is necessary to adopt a realistic approach which allows Tunisia to obtain financing opportunities from the European Union”, declared the Italian Prime Minister.
And to continue: “More than 900 Italian institutions are active in Tunisia… There is a new cooperation in the field of energy through the “Elmed” project (the electrical interconnection between Tunisia and Italy) , which connects the two shores of the Mediterranean”.
Meloni is on Tuesday on a “friendship and work” visit to Tunisia, at the invitation of President Kais Saied, according to a press release from the Tunisian presidency.
Tunisia is suffering from a serious economic crisis, exacerbated by the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic, then by the Russian-Ukrainian war still in progress since February 24, 2022.
