Tunisia Mobilizes Support ahead of IMF Talks

Tunisia is mobilizing support ahead of IMF talks.
Tunisia is mobilizing support ahead of IMF talks.
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Tunisia Mobilizes Support ahead of IMF Talks

Tunisia is mobilizing support ahead of IMF talks.
Tunisia is mobilizing support ahead of IMF talks.

Tunisia is preparing to head to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in May to persuade the Fund to support its domestic economic reforms programs.

Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi held a series of preparatory meetings ahead of the talks.

Ambassador of the United States in Tunis Donald Blome affirmed during talks with the PM on Thursday his country's support for Tunisia in its negotiations with the IMF to raise necessary financial resources.

Blome added that the US administration is fully ready to support Tunisia's development efforts and ensure the success of the democratic process, the Prime Ministry said in a statement.

The ambassador also welcomed the progress made in the development program led by the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Tunisia, which will provide about $500 million in donations to support the national economy, especially in transportation and agriculture.

Ambassador of the European Union to Tunisia, Marcus Cornaro, on Thursday, expressed the EU's full support to the efforts of the Tunisian government in its national economic reform program.

Speaking during a meeting with Mechichi in Kasbah on Thursday, Cornaro added that the EU has support and cooperation mechanisms that will be made available to the Tunisian government, according to a statement from the Prime Ministry.

He stressed that the EU will be the first to defend Tunisia with member countries through ambitious investment and employment programs.

According to the IMF, Tunisia ended 2020 with an 8.8 percent recession. Tunisia’s current budget has a deficit of TND18.5 billion ($6.7 billion) and is likely to increase, according to preliminary estimates.



Shipping Company Maersk Temporarily Pauses Haifa Port Calls

Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache attack helicopters fly over Israel's northern city of Haifa on June 19, 2025. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache attack helicopters fly over Israel's northern city of Haifa on June 19, 2025. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
TT
20

Shipping Company Maersk Temporarily Pauses Haifa Port Calls

Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache attack helicopters fly over Israel's northern city of Haifa on June 19, 2025. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache attack helicopters fly over Israel's northern city of Haifa on June 19, 2025. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

Container shipping company Maersk said on Friday it had temporarily paused vessel calls at Israel's Haifa port amid regional tensions.

The Danish company said it did not experience any further disruptions to its scheduled operations in the region.

Israel has been hitting Iran from the air since last Friday in what it describes as an effort to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and has retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel.

On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defense industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv.