Tunis, July 16 (TAP) – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti on Wednesday received UK Minister for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan Hamish Falconer, who led his country’s delegation to the third session of the UK-Tunisia Association Council.
The session was chaired on the Tunisian side by Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Ben Ayed.
During the meeting, Nafti commended the progress made in implementing the provisions of the 2019 UK-Tunisia- Association Agreement, notably in sectors such as security, trade, joint investment, education, the promotion of English language teaching in the Tunisian curricula and tourism, which has seen a notable rise in British visitors to Tunisia recently.
He also pointed out the need to ensure propitious conditions for Tunisians living, working, and studying in the UK, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release.
For his part, the UK Minister reaffirmed his country’s commitment to scaling up cooperation and partnership with Tunisia, and to opening new avenues for development, particularly in renewable energy and information technology sectors.
While chairing the third session of the Tunisian-British Association Council, Mohamed Ben Ayed highlighted the deep and diverse partnership between Tunisia and the UK, which has continued to grow steadily since the partnership agreement was signed.
He voiced satisfaction at the tangible progress achieved, especially in bilateral trade, emphasizing promising prospects for further boosting this cooperation, notably as ongoing negotiations to amend the agricultural protocol have advanced significantly.
The Secretary of State also expressed Tunisia’s willingness to reinforce cooperation with the UK in priority sectors such as food industries, renewable energy, advanced technologies, education, and higher education.
Both sides commended the qualitative development recorded in investment, clean energy, startups, and tourism sectors, expressed keenness to establish updated mechanisms under the Bilateral Association Agreement to further scale up cooperation across multiple fields.
Falconer hailed the long-standing relations binding the UK and Tunisia dating back to the 17th century, underscoring Tunisia’s role as a pillar of stability in a region facing many challenges, making it a trusted and valued partner.
He also expressed his country’s commitment to working with Tunisia on vital issues such as migration and security to strengthen regional stability.
The meeting also addressed several regional and international issues of mutual concern, foremost among them the Palestinian cause.
The Secretary of State reaffirmed Tunisia’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people, stressing the urgent need to end the daily atrocities they face, lift the unjust blockade on the Gaza Strip, and enable the Palestinians to reclaim their legitimate rights, primarily their right to self-determination and to establish their independent state on their whole territories with Al-Quds as its capital.
They also underlined the need to support UN efforts to assist Libyan parties in reaching a lasting political solution that preserves Libya’s unity and stability.
