June 11 () –
The president of Tunisia, Kais Saied, has warned this Sunday that his country will not become the “Police of other people’s borders” on a day when he receives a European delegation headed by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen , to address precisely the migration crisis.
“We reject that our country is reduced to the role of a simple policeman who scrupulously watches over the protection of other people’s borders,” said Saied during a visit to the coastal city of Sfax, precisely one of the main starting points of the migratory route by the Mediterranean towards Europe.
Saied has linked this speech with an outright rejection of the accusations that he is accused of encouraging a wave of xenophobic violence against sub-Saharan migrants entering the country.
“We advocate loud and clear in favor of an eminently humanist solution in a collective framework according to standards that preserve human dignity where everyone must contribute to complying with State laws,” said the president in statements collected by the Kapitalis portal.
The president, however, dedicated a few words to the “pseudo defenders of Human Rights” who continue to “disturb with their moral lessons” by proposing the safe opening of migratory routes.
“They should be ashamed to see this dark and gloomy image of a trampled humanity, at the service of the great networks of human and organ trafficking,” added the president, who accused the northern Mediterranean countries of exercising a policy of double standards. .
“When it comes to protecting their countries, they are quick to demand compliance with the law. When they demand things from us on the south shore, the tone changes and the demands are no longer the same,” Saied added. knowing that the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, is part of the European delegation.
Von der Leyen, Meloni and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, intend to discuss the economic crisis and the migratory issue with the Maghreb country, after the increase in the migratory flow in the Mediterranean to which Rome responded by declaring a state of emergency .
As announced at a press conference by the community spokesman, Eric Mamer, the trip will focus on bilateral relations between Tunisia and the EU and on a cooperation agreement on economic, energy and migration matters, although he has specified that this document it is not finished yet.
During the visit, Von der Leyen, Rutte and Meloni are scheduled to meet with Saied, a president that the opposition denounces for his authoritarian drift, after the arrest of dissident leaders and for proceeding with elections boycotted by the opposition that had a 10 percent share.
In any case, the EU has debated in recent months how to take steps forward to stabilize the country in the face of economic and social deterioration that has also caused a rise in illegal migration through the central Mediterranean.
