The Tunisian government has rejected a warning made by Josep Borrell, the head of foreign policy for the European Union (EU).
Borrell was quoted as saying: ‘The situation in Tunisia is very, very dangerous. If it collapses economically or socially then we will be in a situation where new flows of migrants will come to Europe. We have to avoid this situation.’
Tunisia has become increasingly authoritarian in recent years, with the economy facing significant headwinds. The President of Tunisia, Kais Saied, has blamed many of the country’s problems on migration from sub-Saharan Africa.
Tunisia dismissed Borrell’s comments, with the country’s foreign minister saying the remarks were: ‘overblown, both in view of the well-established resilience of the Tunisian people throughout its history, and in view of the threat of migration to Europe from the south’.
Tunisia is currently in talks with the International Monetary Fund to secure a US$2 billion bailout.
Image by Mourad El Mekki from Pixabay