The President of the Republic, Kais Saied, received, on the evening of March 20, a telephone call from French President Emmanuel Macron, who extended his congratulations on the occasion of Tunisia’s 70th independence anniversary.
During the exchange, the head of state discussed several topics, notably relations with the European Union and the need to revise the partnership agreement to make it more balanced, fairer, and more equitable.
Moreover, the President reaffirmed Tunisia’s commitment to recovering the funds that had been misappropriated, stressing that this is a right of the Tunisian people that cannot be prescribed or lost in the maze of judicial procedures which, to date, have yielded no results.
Regarding irregular migration, the head of state stressed the need to redouble efforts to ensure the voluntary return of irregular migrants. He recalled, in this context, that Tunisia has made significant efforts while being a victim of an unfair global economic system as well as of criminal networks operating in sub-Saharan Africa and north of the Mediterranean, exploiting these migrants. He also called on the relevant international organizations and northern countries to fully assume their responsibilities, reminding that Tunisia from the outset refused to be a transit or host country.
In another vein, the two presidents discussed the need to pool their efforts to establish a new international legitimacy, more just, in a context where the post-World War II legitimacy has, for several years, been retreating and gradually eroding. They also stressed the importance of developing new visions and ideas, a prelude to the emergence of renewed concepts intended to replace those that prevailed until now and are no longer suitable.
Finally, the President of the Republic and his French counterpart exchanged several reflections, notably on the transition phase that humanity is going through, today aspiring to an order not only international, but truly human, founded on essential principles such as justice and freedom. They argued that the absence of justice fuels injustice and aggression, while the erosion of freedoms, whether individual or collective, opens the way to authoritarianism and darkness. The two leaders thus expressed their aspiration for a new philosophy of the Enlightenment, capable of illuminating the world and ending injustices, recalling that humanity has suffered greatly under this declining international legitimacy, particularly the Palestinian people, and that it is now urgent to put an end to their sufferings and their tragedies.
