Day: April 27, 2024

Tunis: Scaling up cooperation between Tunisia and Cameroon in vocational training and employment field took centre stage at a meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Nabil Ammar and Cameroonian Minister of Employment and Vocational Training Issa Tchiroma Bakary, said a Foreign Affairs Ministry press release on Saturday.

The meeting falls under the participation of a Tunisian delegation in the 11th session of the Tunisian-Cameroonian Joint Committee held in Yaoundé, Cameroon on April 26-27.

The two sides agreed on the need to further scale up the Tunisian-Cameroonian cooperation in vocational training field by holding the first session of the Joint Tunisian-Cameroonian Technical Committee in this field as soon as possible.

A visit will be organised for the benefit of the Cameroonian Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training to Tunisia to familiarise with the Tunisian experience.

Minister Ammar underscored quality of the expertise that Tunisia has built up in the voc
ational training field, voicing willingness to share its experience in this field with Cameroon.

The Cameroonian Minister expressed for his part, his country’s willingness to make the most of Tunisia’s pioneering experience in the vocational training field, affirming that Cameroon is in dire need to upgrade the local labour force so as to achieve the development goals set by the country’s authorities.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: The committee in charge of drafting the National Council of Regions and Districts’ Rules of Procedure will convene for the first time on April 29 to elect a chairman, a deputy-chairman and a rapporteur, committee member Haythem Sfar said.

The National Council of Regions and Districts “fully cooperates with the Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP), he told TAP on Saturday, adding that the possibility of drawing inspiration from the ARP’s Rules of Procedure has not been ruled out as these are two equivalent legislative chambers.

The rules of procedure committee includes 19 members, they are:

-AlaS Ghazouani (Jendouba)

-Haythem Sfar (Mahdia)

-Salem Mekni (Beja)

-Haythem Trabelsi (Ben Arous)

-Abderraouf Klai (1st district)

-Hamdi Omrane (3rd district)

-Mohamed El Ayech El Jamii (Kasserine)

-Ali Mejri (Beja)

-Néji Ben Kilani (Sfax)

-Mohamed Ali Bahrouni (Kairouan)

-Ahmed Gara Ali (Nabeul)

-Ali Hissoumi Bayouli (Tataouine)

-Jalel Karoui (Tunis)

-Samir Hasnaoui (Kef)

-Samia Souissi (Sid
i Bouzid)

-Saida Chekir (Ariana)

-Omar Jaidi (Zaghouan)

-Chaker Ben Belkacem (Nabeul)

-Syrine Gsara (Monastir).

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar, met the President of the Cameroon’s employers organisation (GeCAM), Célestin Tawamba, on the sidelines of the Tunisian-Cameroonian Joint Commission held in Yaoundé (Cameroon) on April 26 and 27.

On this occasion, the FM stressed the importance of strengthening communication between businessmen from the two countries and exploiting all the opportunities for bilateral cooperation, as part of the benefits offered by the two countries’ accession to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), according to a press release issued by the Foreign Ministry.

For his part, Tawamba stressed the importance of establishing an African development model that takes into account the continent’s specificities, resources and potential.

The meeting was also attended by Samir Majoul, President of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA).

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

TUNIS: Tunisia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Tarek El-Adab reiterated Tunisia’s call to pool efforts to combat the irregular migration phenomenon and its security repercussions, and to root out its underlying causes, notably the development gap between the two Mediterranean shores and the effects of successive global crises.

At a Security Council Open Debate on the Role of Young Persons in Addressing Mediterranean Challenges held on Friday in New York, Al-Adab underlined that it is not possible to talk about restoring security and stability in the region at a time when the occupation, war crimes, genocide, forced displacement and all kinds of violations that the Palestinian people have been facing for decades are continuing and worsening as a result of the violation of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy by the occupying forces.

He pointed out the importance of the young people’s role in building cohesion, resilience and sustainability of societies, u
nderscoring the need to pay more attention to the category of young people by encouraging them, integrating them into their societies in an effective and institutional manner, broadening their participation in decision-making and policy-making and offering them education and training that meet their needs and aspirations and the sustainable development goals.

“Tunisia reiterates commitment to continue to bet on young people and to ensure their active participation, and calls for the adoption of global participatory approaches to meet joint challenges,” El Adab said, reaffirming Tunisia’s willingness to make of young people bearers of a message of peace, work and construction and key players in the creation of a peaceful, united, balanced and sustainable Tunisian, Mediterranean and global society.”

The Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the United Nations indicated that “the repercussions of the security challenges in the Mediterranean region affect everyone without exception, and require the boosting of
cooperation and solidarity as part of global participatory approaches to deal with the root causes of these risks and find effective solutions, laying emphasis on the active participation of young people who are the most exposed to the effects of these challenges.”

He called on the international community and the Security Council to shoulder their legal and moral responsibilities to put an end to the aggression of the occupying forces against the Palestinian people and the violation of their most fundamental rights.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar, on the sidelines of his visit to Cameroon, visited two Tunisian companies based in this African country, STUDI INTERNATIONAL and SCET TUNISIE, to learn about their activities and identify the concerns of Tunisians working for the two companies.

The Minister expressed his deep pride in the presence of Tunisian companies in Cameroon, ‘which represent a major asset for Tunisia abroad and an important contribution to the country’s development efforts,’ according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.

During these two visits, he stressed the Tunisian government’s willingness to support Tunisian investors abroad and to help them develop cooperation with all African countries in order to raise it to the level Tunisia aspires to.

The Foreign Minister is visiting Cameroon on April 26 and 27, at the head of a Tunisian delegation for the 11th session of the Tunisian-Cameroonian Joint Commission.

Source: A
gence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó will pay a working visit to Tunisia on Monday at the invitation of Nabil Ammar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad.

‘This is the fourth visit since his appointment and comes within the framework of the excellent relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries since 1956 and the intensification of political consultations initiated in 1996.’

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, the talks will provide an opportunity to discuss ways of enhancing bilateral and multilateral cooperation in various fields, especially in the context of the forthcoming Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in addition to deepening consultations on a number of current regional and international issues of common interest.

Tunisian-Hungarian relations date back to 1956, when Tunisia became the first Maghreb country and the fourth in the Arab world (after Iraq,
Egypt and Syria) to establish diplomatic relations with Hungary.

In January 2013, Tunisia decided to upgrade its diplomatic representation in Budapest to the level of ambassador, which was warmly welcomed by the Hungarian authorities.

For its part, Hungary has been providing continuous political support to Tunisia since 2011, which has been reflected in an increased frequency of visits, as well as its support for the decision to remove Tunisia from the European blacklist of high-risk countries in the field of money laundering and terrorist financing, its support for Tunisia’s request to extend the deadlines for the recovery of stolen funds, and Tunisia’s accession to the European Framework Research and Innovation Programme “Horizon Europe 2021-2027”.

The first meeting of the Joint Commission was held in Tunis on March 11-12, 2010 at the level of Secretaries of State, while the fifth meeting of the Joint Committee was held for the first time at the level of Foreign Ministers on June 20-21, 2010 in the Hunga
rian capital Budapest.

As for the volume of trade, the total amount of Hungarian direct investment in Tunisia does not exceed TND 490,000, through three companies based in Tunisia, while bilateral trade has witnessed a remarkable increase since Hungary joined the European Union in 2004, as Hungary is the 24th customer of Tunisia and the 29th supplier in 2019.

Regarding cooperation in the field of tourism, 2022 recorded a return to the normal pattern of the flow of Hungarian tourists to Tunisia, with the entry of about 15,000 tourists, while 2023 recorded a significant increase, with the number of tourists reaching 20,570.

There are no regular direct flights between Tunisia and Budapest.

On another level, the two countries are linked by an agreement on judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters, recognition and enforcement of judgments and extradition, signed in Budapest on December 6, 1982 and ratified by the Tunisian side on April 6, 1984.

The number of Tunisian citizens living in Hungary is 1
,314, of whom 149 have dual nationality. The professional composition of the community includes 646 students, 75 pupils, 253 workers and 206 managers and professionals.

Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar visited Hungary last year to participate in the fifth session of the Joint Economic Commission and the third Tunisian-Hungarian Business Forum.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: The Minister of State and Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, expressed his country’s desire to strengthen cooperation with Tunisia in various fields during his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar, in Yaoundé.

He praised the good reputation of Tunisian professionals in Cameroon and their effective contribution to the country’s development objectives.

During the meeting, which took place in the framework of his participation in the 11th session of the Tunisian-Cameroonian Joint Commission on 26 and 27 April, the Foreign Minister expressed his satisfaction with the level of cooperation achieved in Tunisian-Cameroonian relations and Tunisia’s keenness to continue raising them to the highest level, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.

He also expressed Tunisia’s dissatisfaction with the ‘slanderous campaigns to which it has been subjected in connection with its h
andling of the issue of irregular migration and its rejection of foreign attempts to damage Tunisia’s reputation.’

FM Nabil Ammar noted Tunisia’s ‘categorical rejection of foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs and its sovereign national choices.’

He reiterated Tunisia’s principled position in support of the just Palestinian cause, calling for an end to the brutal attacks by the occupying entity against the defenceless Palestinian people, recalling Tunisia’s support for various national liberation movements in Africa.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the Minister of State, Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, received the Foreign Minister on behalf of the President of Cameroon, Paul Biya.

In the same context, the Foreign Minister also met the Cameroonian Minister Delegate to the Minister of Transport, Njoya Zakariou.

During the meeting, the two sides expressed their desire to develop Tunisian-Cameroonian cooperation in the field of air transport, with
the aim of opening a direct route between the two countries by the end of 2024, according to a second statement from the Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: The Tunisian-Cameroonian joint commission session culminated in the signing of a series of bilateral cooperation agreements in the fields of housing, education and culture, as well as an agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of special and diplomatic passports, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad.

Minister Nabil Ammar together with his Cameroonian counterpart, Mbella Mbella, chaired the closing meeting of the 11th session in Yaoundé on Saturday.

In his remarks on the occasion, the Minister stressed the importance of following up on the results of this meeting and activating the decisions taken.

In this context, the Minister underlined the importance of holding this diplomatic event eight years after the 10th session of the Tunisian-Cameroonian Joint Commission, in response to the desire of the two countries’ leaders to boost the momentum of bilateral cooperation.

He reiterated his sincere thanks and gratitude to the Cameroonian auth
orities for the hospitality and warm welcome received by the Tunisian delegation since its arrival in Cameroon. “This reflects the quality of fraternal relations and the historic friendship that unites the peoples of the two brotherly countries,” he said.

“Tunisia, in line with its historical openness to others, welcomes all African brothers who travel there for study, health, tourism or investment purposes, taking into account and respecting Tunisian legislation on residence,” Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar was quoted as saying in the same statement.

For his part, the Cameroonian Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his pleasure at the participation of an important and high-level delegation from the Tunisian government in the work of this commission, in addition to the participation of the President of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts.

The Cameroonian side hosted a dinner in honour of Minister Ammar and the delegation accompanying him, on the instructions of the President of th
e Republic of Cameroon Paul Biya, according to the ministry statement.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse