Cooperation between Tunisia and Switzerland and ways to strengthen it were the main topics of a meeting that brought together Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians abroad Nabil Ammar and Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of the Swiss Confederation, on Thursday at the Federal Palace in Bern.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, the two sides reviewed various aspects of bilateral cooperation and ways to strengthen it, especially within the framework of the Swiss development cooperation strategy in the MENA region for the period 2021-2024.
They underlined the need to seize the opportunity of the next bilateral events, in particular the 3rd session of the Tunisian-Swiss Political Consultations to be held in Tunis at the beginning of 2024, in order to consolidate this dynamic within the framework of the new Swiss regional strategy for the period 2025-2028. Nabil Ammar invited his host to pay a working visit to Tunisia in the nea
r future.
The Foreign Minister also raised the issue of looted assets frozen abroad, including in Switzerland, stressing that the Tunisian authorities attach absolute priority to speeding up and completing the process of repatriating these funds, which will help Tunisia to meet its development needs by its own means.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss current regional and international issues, in particular the Palestinian question.
In this regard, the Minister reiterated Tunisia’s principled position in favour of the Palestinian cause, while stressing that peace and stability in the region can only be guaranteed in the long term after the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state and the recovery by the Palestinian people of all their legitimate rights.
For his part, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis reaffirmed his country’s willingness to step up consultations and exchanges with Tunisia in the coming period in the context of cooperation and economic partnership, wh
ile expressing his understanding of the importance of the issue of looted assets.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse