Tunisian President Kais Saied Monday met with visiting French and German interior ministers, Gerald Darmanin and Nancy Faeser, to discuss bilateral cooperation and the issue of illegal immigration.
According to a statement released by the presidency, the meeting focused on the strategic cooperation and partnership relations between Tunisia and the European Union in various fields.
“The president and the ministers confirmed their keenness to strengthen and develop relations between Tunisia and the EU towards broader horizons in line with new visions and perceptions,” read the statement.
During the meeting, Saied said Tunisia would not be a guardian of Europe’s borders in preventing the flow of illegal immigrants as the country will only guard its own borders.
“Tunisia will not accept the settlement of immigrants on its soil,” the president said, calling for a collective approach to eliminating the root causes of illegal immigration.
Earlier on Monday, the French interior minister revealed at a press conference in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, that his country would offer €25.8m ($28.2m) to Tunisia to stop illegal immigrants from reaching European shores.
This visit came a week after a previous one by a delegation of President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte to discuss relations between Tunisia and the EU and ways to combat illegal immigration.
Located in the central Mediterranean, Tunisia is one of the most popular transit points for illegal immigration to Europe.
Although Tunisian authorities have adopted rigorous measures to tackle the problem, the number of illegal immigrants from Tunisia to Italy has been on the rise.
