ALBAWABA – Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pledged to support Tunisia with $748 million in lines of credit and to back the country in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avoid collapse.
Tunisian President Kais Saied, Tuesday, proposed with Italy’s Meloni relieving Tunisia’s debts and turning them into “private development projects.”
Avoiding economic collapse in Tunisia, the country that sparked the “Arab Spring” in 2011, is a priority for Meloni, as the country is still reeling from its revolution.
Meloni, in a statement carried by Bloomberg on Wednesday, underlined the importance of Italian-Tunisian ties. She highlighted that Tunisia is a major staging post for illegal migration across the Mediterranean. Hence Italy’s interest in preventing a collapse in the country.
Further unrest could lead to risks of increased migration, an issue that was central to the right-wing politician’s election campaign and the promises she gave the Italian public.
Meloni said in remarks posted on the Tunisian presidency's Facebook page that Italy intends to open the lines of credit to support mostly vital services, such as health care.
"We have to take a pragmatic approach so that we can help Tunisia," she added.
Saied, during his meeting with Meloni, renewed his rejection of what he described as IMF dictates, warning that they might lead to destabilization in Tunisia and beyond.
He said, "Those who provide ready-made prescriptions are like a doctor who prescribes medicine before diagnosing a disease."
International Monetary Fund assistance is essential to support Tunisia’s economy, Bloomberg explained.
Tunisia is suffering from high inflation, prices and youth unemployment.
But the Tunisian government has not yet finished the wide-ranging reforms, including potentially painful cuts to government spending, as stipulated by the IMF to secure a final agreement.
At least 23,091 migrants were intercepted trying to illegally cross by sea from Tunisia to Italy between January and May this year, according to the Tunisian NGO FTDES.
Data, reported by Bloomberg, showed about 3,430 Tunisians arrived in Italy, including 865 minors, while 534 people died in the attempts.
