Tunisian experts are of the opinion that the goal of Italy, which has been at the center of contacts focused on the increasing irregular migration and economic crisis in recent days, is to "prevent the flow of irregular migration towards its country" and therefore forces the EU to come to the table with Tunisia.
Irregular migration and the economic crisis in Tunisia are at the center of the intense meetings that Tunisian President Qais Said had with the representatives of EU countries during the last two weeks.
The bilateral talks, which started with President Said's phone call with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni on 3 June, continued with Meloni's visit to Tunisia on 6 June.
In the statement made after the meetings of the two leaders, a call was made to organize an international conference on "irregular migration" with the participation of especially the EU countries that have a coast on the Mediterranean Sea, as well as North Africa, Sahel and Sub-Saharan countries.
In the statement made by Italy after the same meeting, the Roman administration, "It plans to provide 700 million euros of financial support to Tunisia to be used in health and other priority sectors, and it will endeavor to conclude the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in favor of Tunisia," it was stated.
BROAD COOPERATION PLAN BETWEEN THE EU AND TUNISIA
Another EU-Tunisia meeting, in which the problem of irregular migration and the economic crisis in Tunisia were discussed simultaneously, was held on 11 June.
President Said met with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the Presidential Palace in the capital, Tunisia.
Von der Leyen said in a statement after the meeting that that they had a productive meeting with Tunisian President Said, and that the EU is working on a comprehensive 5-point program that includes developing the Tunisian economy, supporting trade and investment, in addition to clean and renewable energy projects.
Von der Leyen, who said that the first step they will take to support the Tunisian budget is to provide 150 million Euros of financial support, emphasized that they are ready to provide a financial support of 900 million Euros to this country in order to support and develop the economy, if an agreement is reached with Tunisia.
Von der Leyen also stated that they plan to give 100 million Euros to be used in the fields of border management, search and rescue efforts, combating smuggling and irregular migration, and that with a comprehensive cooperation plan, more than 1 billion Euros will be provided to Tunisia.
"ITALY WANTS TO MAKE A DEAL WITH TUNISIA FOR PRIORITY THREATS, INCLUDING IRREGULAR MIGRATION"
Former Tunisian Foreign Minister Ahmed Vennis said in a statement to AA correspondent, "We need to understand the basics of the EU negotiations, which the Italian government has created. Italy has made it clear that it wants to move forward by negotiating with Tunisia in order to eliminate the primary threats, including irregular migration. It forces the EU to join the agreement with Tunisia."
Pointing out that Italy and EU countries are aware that Tunisia is struggling with the economic crisis and will take steps accordingly, Vennis said, "Tunisia can carry out the fight against irregular migration in a healthy way only if the government feels safe economically and politically. This is the common approach of the EU delegation and the Tunisian side. That's why the EU is looking for ways to support Tunisia's economy to combat irregular migration."