African ambassadors accredited to Tunisia, who were received on Thursday by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar, expressed their countries' determination to strengthen cooperation in the fight against illegal migration.
Such cooperation should take place within the framework of a global approach to effectively counter organised crime networks and human trafficking, the ambassadors emphasised at a meeting organised, at their request, with the head of Tunisian diplomacy.
They also stressed the need to strengthen security cooperation in order to combat this phenomenon.
Quoted in a press release from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the African diplomats said they fully understood "the Tunisian position on the issue of migration", welcoming the efforts made by Tunisia to this end.
The African ambassadors took the opportunity to reaffirm their countries' full readiness to cooperate closely with Tunisia to find common and lasting solutions to the problem of irregular migration while respecting human dignity and international conventions.
The African ambassadors also stressed the need for "foreign nationals established in Tunisia to obey the laws and regulations in force in their countries of residence.
The delegation of ambassadors also expressed their categorical rejection of the criticism levelled at Tunisia over its management of the migration issue.
They were unanimous in asserting that Tunisia will always remain a "hospitable and tolerant country", expressing their sincere and deep condolences to the Tunisian President and to the family of the Tunisian citizen who died during the recent events in Sfax, amid the clashes between citizens and irregular migrants.
For his part, Minister Nabil Ammar stressed that "Tunisia's relations with the countries of sub-Saharan Africa are "deep and global" and can in no way be reduced to the simple question of irregular migration, emphasising the need to move forward on the path of consolidating bilateral relations in all areas.
For the head of Tunisian diplomacy, it is more imperative than ever to no longer give in to amalgams and to the game of untruths, just as it is essential to adopt a responsible discourse and an effective communication strategy on the migration issue.The Minister also stressed that the issue of irregular migration "goes beyond the capacity of a single country", pointing out that it is a widespread phenomenon that requires the combined efforts of the various countries concerned as part of a global approach.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs reassured sub-Saharan Africans who had come to Tunisia legally, reiterating Tunisia's full readiness to facilitate the return of irregular migrants to their countries of origin.
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed to continue coordination and consultation between the group of African ambassadors and the relevant administrative departments within the ministry, in order to ensure follow-up of cooperation dossiers and proposals relating to migration and the procedures for their implementation.
A few days ago, groups of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries were transferred to regions on the country's eastern and western borders, pending their repatriation to their countries of origin.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse