President Tunisia: We will not be a ‘guardian’ for other countries in the fight against migration | Abroad

Prime Minister Mark Rutte will visit Tunisia on Sunday, together with President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The European Union wants to make agreements with the North African country to curb illegal migration.

Tunisia seems to think otherwise. “The solution will not be at the expense of Tunisia, we cannot be a guardian for their countries,” Saied said during a visit to the port city of Sfax, the country’s second city and the main departure point for migrants who want to reach Italy by boat .

Prime Minister Mark Rutte is ‘cautiously hopeful’ that agreements can be made with Tunisia in the short term to prevent the illegal crossing of asylum seekers from Tunisia as much as possible, he said on Friday. He does not expect to close the deal on Sunday, “but it will be an important step.”

In addition to restricting the crossing of illegal asylum seekers, it is also about trade agreements and economic and financial support to the North African country. The Tunisian economy is in a bad state, inflation is high and there is a shortage of food and fuel, among other things.

Meanwhile, Tunisia has become an important departure point for migrants from the south who want to go to Europe. Tunisians themselves are also increasingly trying to reach Europe. European countries fear that further economic downturn in Tunisia could fuel the crossing of migrants and asylum seekers.

Saied sidelined parliament two years ago and has since pushed through a new constitution that gives him almost full power and makes impeachment virtually impossible. Critics of the regime are regularly taken to court. Opposition leader and Saied critic Rached Ghannouchi was sentenced in May this year to a year in prison for sedition.