Tunisia rejects financial aid from the EU

According to President Kais Saied, Tunisia is open to collaboration but rejects anything that appears to be charitable giving or freebies.

The European Union offered financial assistance to Tunisia to strengthen the country’s budget and deal with the migration situation, but President Kais Saied of Tunisia rejected it, stating that the EU had broken earlier this year’s commitments.

According to a statement released by the national radio TAP, Saied stated on Monday that “Tunisia rejects what the EU announced, not because of the small amount… but because this proposal contradicts the memorandum of understanding signed in July.”

The EU and Saied inked a collaboration deal in July, promising to give the North African nation more than €1 billion ($1.12 billion) to support its devastated economy and reduce illegal migration from the Tunisian coast to Europe.

However, the European Commission said last month that it would give the nation aid of €127 million ($133 million), with the majority of the money set aside for resolving migration challenges, such as making it easier for migrants to return to their home countries.

The president of Tunisia stated on Monday in response to the EU news that he would not accept the “small amount” because it “lacks respect.”

During a meeting with Nabil Ammar, the nation’s minister of foreign affairs and migration, Saied was cited by TAP as saying, “Tunisia, which accepts cooperation, does not accept anything that resembles charity or handouts.”

Bechir Jouini, an expert in international relations, said in an interview with RT on Tuesday that the EU’s management of the accord, which appears to place financial concerns above other considerations, was a key factor in Tunisia’s rejection of its offer.

Jouini contends that real investments in African economies should take precedence over resource exploitation if the EU is serious about addressing the immigration situation.

He claimed that “if there is no stability, if there is no growth in Africa, there is no stability in all of Europe” and added, “We are not just demanding money.”