Tunisian President Kais Saied on
Monday evening refused what he called "charity" from the EU in
the shape of 60 million euros in budget support for the north
African country and a package of operational assistance on
migration worth 67 million euros in support of the
implementation of the memorandum of understanding between the
two.
Saied said the funds contradicted the spirit of the MOU he
signed with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, European Commission
President Ursula von der Leyen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark
Rutte in mid July.
The Memorandum of Understanding features five pillars -
macro-economic stability, trade and investment, green energy
transition, people-to people contacts, and migration - and
includes financial assistance.
Meloni has said she considered it a "model" for relations
between the bloc and north African countries.
Tunisia is in the midst of severe financial crisis and the
unstable situation has been a major factor in a huge increase in
the number of migrants and refugees arriving in Italy by sea
this year.
Saied said Monday evening that Tunis accepted cooperation with
the EU but not charity.
"Tunisia, which accepts cooperation, does not accept either
chairity of alms," he said, adding that "our country and our
people do not want pity, but demand respect".
He added: "Tunisia rejects what was announced by the Eu in the
last few days, not for the amount in question, because all the
wealth in the world is not worth a gramme of our sovereignty,
but because the proposal contradicts the memorandum of
understanding signed in Tunis in the spirit that prevailed at
the Rome conference last July".
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