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Tunisian Foreign Minister: Trump Administration to Back Tunisia | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui shakes hands with his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault during his visit in Tunis,Tunisia March 17, 2016. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi


Tunisia – Following his return from a tour that included the US, Egypt, Iraq, Algeria and UAE, Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui revealed that talks with these states’ leaders focused on combating terrorism, international support to Tunisia’s democratic political course, and updates in the crises in Libya, Syria and Yemen.

Jhinaoui told Asharq Al-Awsat that talks with the Trump administration and high-level officials in Congress and the economic, security and military fields covered Tunisian proposals on activating partnership to back the Tunisian model of democratic transition.

He admitted however that the Trump administration is still indecisive in some files.

Regarding the fate of the Tunisia-Algeria-Egypt Summit on Libya, Jhinaoui revealed that he discussed with his counterparts in Algeria, Egypt, UAE and the Arab and international capitals the initiative of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi on Libya and possible ways to activate the “Tunis Declaration”.

Jhinaoui lauded the Arab Ministerial Meeting’s support to the initiative, which was reached through Tunisian-Algerian-Egyptian coordination and efforts of Libya’s neighboring countries.

He further expected the upcoming Arab Summit to back this peaceful approach to reach a settlement and said that Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria will likely hold an advisory meeting on Libya on the sidelines of the summit.

Commenting on the first official visit by a Tunisian foreign minister to Iraq in 14 years, he described the trip as a success on the economic and political levels.

On the economic level, Jhinaoui declared that his talks with Iraqi officials were attended by prominent Tunisian businessmen with the aim of activating several previous economic partnership agreements.

In the same context, the Tunisian minister reported that the Iraqi and Tunisian parties agreed on completing Iraqi investment projects in Tunisia and increasing exports.