Tunis: The Tunisian consulate in the Italian city of Bologna was inaugurated Tuesday at a ceremony presided over by Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mounir Ben Rjiba, in accordance with a decision by the President of the Republic. At the beginning of the inauguration ceremony, the national flag was hoisted over the consulate's headquarters, before the Secretary of State gave the signal for the start of the consulate's operations and the provision of services to members of the Tunisian community residing at the Tunisian consulate in Bologna. Bologna is part of the Emilia-Romagna region in north-western Italy, where more than 40,000 Tunisians live. The establishment of this consulate will enable the Tunisian community to avoid the inconvenience of travelling hundreds of kilometres to the Tunisian consulates in Genoa and Rome, in addition to exploring and promoting opportunities for Tunisian-Italian decentralised cooperation in various fields with the prov inces covered by the consulate, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During a meeting with a number of citizens who visited the consulate on its first day of operation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated Tunisia's willingness to pay more attention to the expatriate community, defend their rights and interests and strengthen consular services. This is in line with the constant effort to improve the quality of services and bring them closer to the Tunisian community in the best conditions, in recognition of the role assigned to them in supporting national development efforts, he pointed out. He also highlighted the State's efforts to further strengthen relations with Tunisian citizens abroad, beyond the delivery of administrative documents, in order to increase confidence in the performance of the diplomatic apparatus and establish constructive cooperation, as one of the priorities of diplomatic and consular work. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in the process of im plementing a package of programmes as part of its plan to digitise consular services, he added. In this context, he announced that the ministry will organise a national forum for Tunisian experts abroad on August 6 and 7 at the International Diplomatic Academy in Tunis. He recalled the crucial importance of attracting Tunisian talents abroad and motivating them to serve Tunisia's interests and participate in the country's development process. The Secretary of State also invited them to organise themselves in the long term within influential structures in their countries of residence and to create a bridge of cultural and social communication between Tunisia and their country of residence. For their part, the members of the community expressed their pride in the opening of the Tunisian consulate in Bologna as an important and long-awaited gain, and appreciated the availability of modern equipment and modern means of work at the consulate's headquarters. The opening of the Tunisian consulate in Bologna bri ngs to six the number of Tunisian consulates in Italy (a consulate general in Milan and five consulates in Rome, Naples, Genoa, Palermo and Bologna). The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Tunisian ambassador in Rome, the Tunisian consul in Bologna, several local officials, Italian businessmen and academics, as well as a number of Tunisian professionals and representatives of Tunisian civil society living in the consular district and a number of members of the consular corps accredited in Bologna. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse