Rome – Tunisian President Beji Essebsi met with Italian leaders on Wednesday to discuss the fight against terrorism and migrant trafficking.
It was the first official visit by a Tunisian head of state since the country’s so-called Jasmine Revolution of 2011, which sparked the Arab Spring uprisings that year.
Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano tweeted that the two countries are expected to sign an “accord on combating irregular immigration’’ on Thursday morning.
Both countries are “firmly determined’’ to fight terrorism and human traffickers together, President Sergio Mattarella said after welcoming the Tunisian leader on the first part of his two-day mission to Rome.
Italy and Tunisia share a desire for Libya to “find a shared government that can pacify that country,’’ Mattarella added.
Essebsi also met with Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and the House and Senate foreign relations committees.
“The Italian government is behaving with maximum humanity’’ on migrants, according to reports.
He said a “global common’’ strategy is needed to deal with the root causes of ongoing mass migration, such as “marginalisation and underdevelopment.’’
Earlier, the Tunisian chief said “Tunisia is on the front lines of the fight against terrorism because there is no state in Libya.’’
“Tunisia is interested in cooperating with all the countries in the region to combat international terrorism,’’ Essebsi said.