‘Aware of the challenges posed by the transnational nature of the terrorist threat,’ the European Union and Tunisia renewed their commitment in Brussels on Thursday 19 January to boost bilateral cooperation in this domain.
Tangible recommendations were made to this end at the second sitting of a high-level political dialogue entitled ‘Security and the fight against terrorism.’ The meeting was devoted to joint work and operational means for countering the transnational threat analysed respectively by the Tunisian and EU authorities.
The meeting was co-chaired by the deputy secretary general for European security and defence policy, Pedro Serrano, and director general with responsibility for relations with the EU at the Tunisian foreign ministry, Mohamed Mezghanni. The EU coordinator for the fight against terrorism, Gilles de Kerkhove, also attended.
A joint press release states that the EU and Tunisia took advantage of the occasion to examine and discuss implementation of the many actions already under way for responding to the challenges posed by terrorism and radicalisation. Both parties welcomed civil society’s involvement (it had been previously consulted) in this crucial battle for Tunisia. The EU welcomed efforts made by the Tunisian authorities that had led to a sharp improvement in the country’s security situation.
Mezghanni stressed the scale of the threat, which could smash the moves towards democracy that had started in 2011. He said the horror of terrorism was a scourge that people were not used to or sufficiently prepared for. Once it got over the shock, he said, Tunisia had mobilised to deal with it and progress has been made and successes registered, but at a cost. He said that despite these achievements, a lot remains to be done given the stormy regional context and fragile borders, particularly with Libya.
In response, the EU said that it continued to commit to firmly supporting the Tunisian authorities in the fight against terrorism, approving of its new national strategy, which the EU said provided an excellent opportunity to proceed with an inclusive approach, respecting Tunisia’s constitutional principles and international standards for human rights and fundamental freedoms. (Original version in French by Fathi B’Chir)