Tunisian Ambassador highlights cooperation‏

Manama, Mar. 18 – (BNA): The Ambassador of Tunisia to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Mohammed Ben Youssef, said his country firmly supports Bahrain's comprehensive economic development for the welfare of its people. "About 1,500 Tunisians who living today in Bahrain benefit from the support, assistance and services provided by Bahrain," the ambassador said. "Around 1,000 members of the Tunisian community are working as experts and professionals at various levels in the education, the telecommunications, engineering, tourism, banking, medicine and sports sectors," he said. Marking his country's 59th independence anniversary on March 20, the ambassador told Bahrain News Agency (BNA) the "volume of bilateral trade at about TND16 million was still below ambition." He affirmed there are huge opportunities to develop bilateral relations to higher levels of cooperation, but on the condition that the private sector becomes actively engaged in the efforts undertaken by both governments to develop it. The new government in Tunis is fully committed to the tenets of Tunisian foreign policy of boosting ties with all sisterly and friendly countries, non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, whilst endevouring to develop its relations with Arab countries, especially the Gulf Cooperation (GCC) countries. "They have supported Tunisia in the past, and Tunisia in turn keen on bolstering cooperation with the GCC countries, Bahrain in particular," he said. "Tunisia today possesses the culture of dialogue, acceptance of one another, openness, frankness, determination to confront the challenges, adhering to the patriotic spirit and upholding the national interests above all other considerations." He said his country is celebrating the end of the transitional phase and beginning a major new phase in the second republic that has surmounted the key challenges facing the Arab world, mainly terrorism, and creating economic balance for community strata, finding solutions to attract youths and prevent their drifting towards terrorist organisations, narcotics or the netherworld. "The Tunisian Constitution approved in January 2014 was of paramount importance serving as the cornerstone in the country's transit from the interim phase to the recent legislative and presidential elections," he said. "Tunisia has succeeded in overcoming the challenging phase of political brinkmanship that almost drifted the country into the clutches of terrorism that constitutes today the biggest challenge to the whole world and the Arab region in particular." Ambassador Ben Youssef added that after the political elite in the country placed the country’s national interest above their differences and disputes, and in light of the readiness and sacrifices of the security and military forces that carried out their duties in perfect manner, Tunisia was able to deal with the ominous threat of terrorism. He said Tunisia is bound by brotherly relations with neighbouring Libya and that instability there directly affects his country, today host to around two million Libyans who have fled the lack of security in their country, asserting that they receive full care from Tunisian citizens.