Giorgia Meloni is expected in Tunisia on Wednesday, April 17. This is the fourth time she has visited Tunis in less than a year. As always, the President of the Italian Council plans to talk about immigration. Last year, Tunisia was the main departure point for migrants to the European Union. On the night of April 12 to 13, the Tunisian presidency released a press release that suggests that it does not intend to have its laws dictated to it.
As is often the case when he wants to send a message, the Tunisian president issued a press release during the night, then a video in which we see him giving his instructions to his Minister of Foreign Affairs.
While Giorgia Meloni intends to show that she makes the issue of illegal immigration one of her priorities, not hesitating to travel to remind Tunisia that it must maintain its borders, President Kaïs Saïed has taken the lead recalling that his nation would not allow decisions to be dictated to him from abroad. And that Tunisia accepts neither being a land of transit, nor a country in which illegal migrants can settle.
These declarations come at a time when, after a very significant drop in recent months, departures are on the rise again and are alarming Italy: 8,000 in three weeks, according to official Italian figures. A surge, less than two months before the European elections, is likely to cause disorder in Italy.
If each of the leaders tries – on a national scale – to show that they are acting in the interest of their country, Giorgia Meloni and Kaïs Saïed will however have to find a common base to defend on Wednesday, April 17 in Carthage. One thing is certain in any case: the campaign for Europeans goes through Tunis.
