19 Feb 2022; MEMO: During her meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied in Brussels, on the margins of the European-African Summit, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola confirmed on Friday that she: "Discussed the importance of returning to an effective parliamentary democracy and an effective institutional balance."
Metsola conveyed in a post on Twitter: "I discussed with President Kais Saied the importance of returning to an effective parliamentary democracy and institutional balance in Tunisia. Fighting corruption and ensuring the independence of the judiciary are necessary to achieve social and economic development in favour of peoples."
The Presidency of the Republic indicated in a statement published on its Facebook page that the meeting: "Discussed the situation in Tunisia and the difficulties it witnesses, and reviewed the adopted exceptional measures, and the decisions that have been announced regarding the upcoming events in Tunisia during the current year."
The presidency reported Saied's confirmation of his "respect for the law and his adherence to the values of democracy, freedom and human rights," as well as his "emphasis on Tunisia's need for strong institutions that carry out their functions in the best way."
The presidency reiterated Metsola's affirmation that "relations with Tunisia form a priority" and highlighted: "Her reference on the status of women and youth in Tunisian society and her keenness that the European Parliament preserves its level of cooperation with Tunisia. She also indicated that the European Parliament is monitoring the situation in Tunisia, and it hopes that it overcomes this circumstance in order to enhance the gains it attained, and to achieve what the Tunisian people aspire."
