Following the remarks made on June 24, 2024 to the press by Joseph Borrel, the Embassy wishes to recall that “in Tunisia, the Government legitimately represents the aspirations of the people and expresses its sovereign will. That Tunisia conducts its relations with all its partners in complete independence. It remains committed to the constancy and achievements of its Partnership with the European Union, working to ensure that this relationship constantly adapts to the challenges and changes underway”. Thus wrote the Tunisian Embassy in Brussels yesterday in response to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
It is recalled that the “person concerned” had, on June 24, 2024, during the meeting of the European Council, expressed his concern about the human rights situation in Tunisia, spoke with concern about Tunisia’s rapprochement with Russia, China and Iran, and added, threateningly, that “we will consider more elements on this subject”.
Until now, the Tunisian response could have been simple sovereignty, nothing more and normal for a Tunisia that has always claimed it. But the Tunisian embassy in Brussels drove the point home and directly attacked Borrel, stating that “the relentlessness of the person concerned, a former administrator of an industrial group now at the end of his professional contract, will not affect the Tunisian-European partnership”. The embassy’s press release does not say the name of the company, nor whether the contract of the said industrial group which is at the end of its period is in Tunisia, or whether the press release spoke of Borrel’s contract with the EU which would expire, but would strongly resemble an accusation of conflict of interest against the European official!
We contacted the Tunisian embassy in Brussels, and asked them for explanations about this very sharp, and it is a pleonasm, press release. The ambassador, we are told, would not be in his office, and his secretariat has the receptionist give us the embassy’s email. At this time, our email had remained unanswered. But perhaps the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Ammar would, during his meeting with journalists, lift the veil on this press release, on the group that would have a contract in Tunisia in connection with Joseph Borrel, and if not, the torch would burn again between Tunis and the European Union afterwards.
This article is originally published on africanmanager.com
