Tunisia confirms its refusal to turn its territory into a country for settling immigrants

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Al-Nafti, affirmed his country’s position rejecting the transformation of its lands into a transit or settlement country for migrants, or into a space to establish landing platforms for irregular migrants and asylum seekers, stressing the country’s adherence to its national sovereignty, and continuing to carry out its responsibilities in protecting its borders, and confronting migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs’ statements came during a joint session held, Thursday, by the Committee on Foreign Relations, International Cooperation, Affairs of Tunisians Abroad, and Migration, and the Committee on Investment and International Cooperation of the Council of Regions and Territories, to hear him about the mission of foreign affairs, immigration, and Tunisians abroad, within the draft state budget for the year 2027.

Al-Nafti stressed, according to what was reported by local newspapers, that Tunisia’s approach to the migration issue does not reduce dealing with the phenomenon to its security dimensions only, but is based on dealing with it in its various humanitarian, development and security dimensions, while respecting the dignity and rights of migrants, and enhancing cooperation with partner countries. He explained that the Ministry is working to develop a comprehensive and balanced approach, combining support for regular and organized migration paths and confronting irregular migration, while addressing the deep causes of this phenomenon, most notably poverty, unemployment, and development disparities.

The Minister also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation and solidarity between countries of origin, transit and reception, on the basis of shared responsibility, to ensure a sustainable treatment of the migration issue. In the same context, the same minister referred to continuing to strengthen coordination with the International Organization for Migration, especially in the field of assistance for voluntary return and reintegration, allowing migrants wishing to return to their countries of origin to do so in safe and dignified conditions.

Tunisia is experiencing the worsening phenomenon of illegal immigration towards the Italian coast. This raises internal and external concerns, and raises questions about the reasons for the unprecedented spread of the phenomenon in the recent period.

The pace of irregular migration from Tunisian territory towards the European coasts has escalated in recent months via “death boats” that roam the Mediterranean Sea to reach the European coasts.

The Ministries of Interior and Defense in Tunisia are continuously announcing the thwarting of a large number of attempts to cross the maritime border, the arrest of a number of organizers and financiers of immigration operations, the seizure of crossing boats, and the publication of reports of the recovery of dozens of bodies of drowned people.

Libya seeks to break the diplomatic isolation associated with years of turmoil and division, and aspires to revitalize its African presence with new initiatives and joint projects, in conjunction with the return of continental institutions to Tripoli, and preparations to host a “regional summit.”

The steps of Libyan diplomacy in this direction accelerated last month, with the reopening of the African Union office in Tripoli after an 11-year closure, in a move that the “interim” government of national unity considered a step aimed at revitalizing institutional cooperation and expanding Libya’s participation in continental programs.

The headquarters of the African Union Development Agency (NEPAD) was also opened in the Libyan capital on October 6th. To enhance cooperation in development fields, and expand opportunities for implementing joint initiatives and projects, in a way that supports sustainable development and African integration.

The two steps come in the context of Libya's endeavor to strengthen its position within multilateral institutions, and its ambition to win a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the period 2028-2029 within the African quota, taking into account the principle of regional rotation between North African countries.

The Libyan diplomat, Ambassador Adel Issa, believes that the return of African institutions to Tripoli represents “positive indicators of the return of African interest in Libya,” and provides an opportunity to revitalize relations between the two sides politically and developmentally, after years during which the country’s ability to influence its continental surroundings declined.

Issa told Asharq Al-Awsat that the relationship with the Union should be based on a “partnership of mutual interests,” not on restoring Libyan influence alone.

He explains that Libya needs its African depth, while the continent needs a stable state that contributes to addressing common challenges in security and development, economic cooperation and regional integration.

However, it seems necessary to distinguish between restoring the institutional presence and restoring the political role, according to Issa, who pointed out that “the return of the African offices to Tripoli is an important step, but it alone does not guarantee an impact on the Union’s positions and decisions, unless they are based on a clear strategic vision and political will.”

Issa added that restoring the Libyan external role is linked to the ability of diplomacy to build sustainable partnerships, develop balanced relations with African countries, and participate in formulating initiatives and decisions related to the future of the continent, rather than being satisfied with the return of institutions to the capital.

Issa considered that Libya's transition from a position where international initiatives and interests intersect to an effective state in formulating the African agenda is a “possible goal,” but it requires unifying the national vision towards Africa, strengthening diplomatic institutions, activating embassies, and investing in bilateral and multilateral relations.

These moves coincide with Libya's preparations to host the fourth summit of the African-Turkish partnership, on the eighth and ninth of next December. Tripoli hosted coordination meetings between Libya, the African Union Commission, and Turkey last month, in preparation for the upcoming summit.

Here, Issa explains that “Libya possesses geographical, political, and economic components that qualify it to play a role in the continent, as a link between North Africa and its African depth, in addition to its location being linked to issues of regional security, migration, development, economic integration, and stability of the Sahel-Sahara region.”

On the other hand, the renewed African presence in Tripoli raises questions about the ability of the African Union to revitalize its role in resolving the Libyan crisis, after years of political and institutional division, and the multiplicity of international and regional initiatives aimed at containing it.

Egypt once again called on Iran to show “flexibility” to resolve the crisis in the region and avoid renewed “military confrontation.” This came during a phone call between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to discuss the latest developments on the regional scene and the efforts made to contain the current tensions.

Abdel Ati stressed “the importance of giving priority to diplomatic solutions and for all parties to show the necessary degree of openness, which allows reaching a political settlement of the crisis by showing the necessary flexibility and reaching compromise solutions that achieve the interests of all parties and prevent the region from sliding into a new wave of escalation, and the massive political, economic and humanitarian repercussions that may result from it on the region and the entire world.”

On Friday, Egypt condemned in the strongest terms the attempt to target Medina in the sister Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a ballistic missile. It expressed its strong condemnation of such attacks, which represent a flagrant violation of the rules and provisions of international law, and undermine the security and stability of the region, as well as efforts to calm the situation and efforts to establish peace.