Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden held talks on Monday with the US Ambassador to Tunis, Donald Blome, at the government palace in Kasbah at the end of his diplomatic mission in the country.

Bouden hailed the United States’ constant support for her country, especially in the fields of national defense and development projects, underlining her keenness to bolster fruitful cooperation ties in various fields, Tunis Afrique Press News Agency TAP reported.

The PM also expressed gratitude to the US ambassador for the efforts he made during his mission “to foster the relations of friendship and cooperation binding the two countries and peoples.”

During the meeting, Blome said he was privileged to serve as US Ambassador to Tunisia over the past three years and expressed appreciation for the warm welcome he received from the Tunisian government and people.

He underscored the strength of the bilateral ties between the United States and Tunisia based on the shared values of democracy and human rights.

Blome reiterated US support for the aspirations of the Tunisian people for an effective, democratic, and responsive government.

Bouden later held talks with a delegation from the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), led by Abdallah Ounnir, who is currently on a visit to the country to assess the implementation of the recommendations made to Tunisia by the Committee in its 2016 report.

She vowed to further develop the prison system by improving detention conditions in confinement centers and prisons and adopting alternative mechanisms to reduce overcrowding in respect of human rights principles.

Ounnir, for his part, said the meeting with Bouden was “constructive and frank” and touched on Tunisia's commitments in the field of torture prevention.

He commended the positive steps taken by Tunis in the field of combating and preventing torture, especially by establishing the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), which is considered the first in the Middle East and North Africa region.