French Prime Minister Jean Castex arrived in Tunisia on Wednesday on a whirlwind visit to strengthen France’s ties with its former protectorate and address crucial issues including Covid-19, the economy and migration.
The visit, which marks the third meeting of the High Council of Franco-Tunisian Cooperation, comes at an uncertain time for Tunisia, which has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus cases this spring while its economy continues to contract.
During the visit, France is expected to announce the donation of oxygen concentrators to three major Tunisian hospitals to help with the oxygen shortage the country faces as the pandemic continues to ravage parts of the population.
At the heart of the trip is a 350 million euro aid package France promised last year. So far, only 100 million euros have been remitted to Tunisia, with the delivery of the rest of the aid package dependent on Tunisia’s ability to implement reforms.
But Tunisia's government is at a standstill, with little political will to compromise or create meaningful policy. Reforms proposed last month to help secure an IMF loan, including slashing subsidies on food staples, have raised ire throughout the populace.
France is also hoping to persuade Tunisia to improve its border security and stem the flow of migration with a 10 million euro package. Last year, Tunisian nationals made up 15 per cent of irregular migrants into Europe, with many making the treacherous crossing from Tunisia to Italy, with many then pressing on to France.
Talks will also focus on strategies to reduce terrorism.
Last autumn, after a young Tunisian national killed three people in Nice, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin paid an official visit with a list of names of radicalised Tunisians living in France, with the demand that they be repatriated. Tunisia refused, claiming they were radicalised in France and are unwelcome at home.
Mr Darmanin, who is one of six other ministers accompanying Mr Castex on the trip, will once again press Tunisia to repatriate those individuals.
To drive the message home, the French delegation’s short visit will culminate with a memorial at the Bardo museum, to commemorate the lives lost during the 2015 terror attacks which left 24 dead, including four French.
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Game is on BeIN Sports
Brief scoreline:
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Barnes 63', 70', Berg Gudmundsson 75'
Southampton 3
Man of the match
Ashley Barnes (Burnley)
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
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Sole survivors
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- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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