The authoritarian regime in Tunis is at the heart of Rome s grand plans for its African axis, Migration and energy deals topped the agenda of Italy s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni s flying visit to Tunisia – her fourth in a year – on 17 April. Flanked by a ministerial delegation, she extolled the virtues of the two countries latest agreements – completely new, among equals and based on mutual interest – at a press conference to which journalists were not invited. After a few hours in the Tunisian capital, she flew to Brussels for a meeting of the European Council.
Risking hyper-inflation and a run on the dinar, the President is pushing for a bigger state overdraft, President Kaïs Saïed is piling on the pressure for Tunisia s central bank to become the latest African bank to provide billions of dollars in direct budget finance, a move which economists warn is likely to lead to inflation and a currency collapse.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been wooing North Africa but his help doesn t extend to financial rescue packages, For President Kaïs Saïed s beleaguered and cash-strapped government, foreign interest – especially outside the usual suspects in the European Union – is regarded as politically useful even if not financially beneficial.
The President s inconsistency has dashed his hopes of bolstering his popularity by backing the Palestinian cause, Tunisians of all political stripes have united in their thousands in protest at Israel s retaliatory war against Hamas in Gaza. Demonstrations have continued over much of the last two months outside the French and American embassies. Some have gone on marches demanding the expulsion of the German Ambassador for his speech condemning Hamas.
The likelihood that the Israel-Hamas war will trigger a refugee crisis has pushed Brussels to strike a migration deal with Cairo, Fears that a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces will create tens of thousands of refugees have prompted the European Union to reorganise its relations with North African states. Egypt is seen as the EU s key ally in the region on this.