European Parliament to Hold Consultations on Political Reforms in Tunisia

Tunisians buy fresh produce at a market on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Tunis, Tunisia, 02 April 2022. (EPA)
Tunisians buy fresh produce at a market on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Tunis, Tunisia, 02 April 2022. (EPA)
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European Parliament to Hold Consultations on Political Reforms in Tunisia

Tunisians buy fresh produce at a market on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Tunis, Tunisia, 02 April 2022. (EPA)
Tunisians buy fresh produce at a market on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Tunis, Tunisia, 02 April 2022. (EPA)

Members of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee will travel to Tunis for consultations on Tunisia’s path towards political reforms and a return to institutional stability.

During the visit, from April 11-13, a high-level delegation of the European Parliament will meet the Tunisian president, representatives of the government, political parties, and civil society to discuss how the EU can continue to support Tunisia in the process of political reform and democratic consolidation.

This ad-hoc delegation will also provide the opportunity to discuss with relevant interlocutors if and how the European Parliament can support Tunisia in preparing for the planned elections at the end of 2022.

In addition, the delegation will pay special attention to the economic situation in Tunisia and on how the EU can best support Tunisian authorities in the implementation of economic reforms for the benefit of all Tunisians in light of the economic and food security crises, the global pandemic and the effects of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Due to the suspension of the parliament, Tunisian authorities, and several parties loyal to the president had previously rejected a similar visit by European Parliament members to the country.

They viewed the visit as meddling in Tunisia's internal affairs.



Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Airstrikes in Syria

Syrians lift placards as they demonstrate in the central Karama Square of the southern city of Sweida on February 25, 2025, in rejection of statements made by Israel's premier on the weekend. (AFP)
Syrians lift placards as they demonstrate in the central Karama Square of the southern city of Sweida on February 25, 2025, in rejection of statements made by Israel's premier on the weekend. (AFP)
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Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Airstrikes in Syria

Syrians lift placards as they demonstrate in the central Karama Square of the southern city of Sweida on February 25, 2025, in rejection of statements made by Israel's premier on the weekend. (AFP)
Syrians lift placards as they demonstrate in the central Karama Square of the southern city of Sweida on February 25, 2025, in rejection of statements made by Israel's premier on the weekend. (AFP)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit condemned on Wednesday the Israeli airstrikes and ground incursions in Syria as a “a reckless provocation and an escalation that seizes the opportunity of political transition in Syria to establish an illegal and illegitimate reality.”

He called for the international community “to take clear positions to condemn this unjustified aggression that aims to ignite tension in the region and put obstacles in the way of political transition in Syria.”

Since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel has regularly launched airstrike on military sites in Syria and Israeli forces moved into territory in southern Syria adjacent to the Israel-occupied Golan Heights and have made clear they plan to stay indefinitely, citing security concerns.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel won’t allow Syria’s new army to “enter the area south of Damascus.”

There has been no official response from the Syrian interim government, led by members of the former opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, to Netanyahu’s comments, but Syrian officials have called for Israel to withdraw from the territory it has seized since Assad’s fall.