TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut made an official visit to Tunisia on Wednesday, holding high-level consultations with President Kais Said, Foreign Minister Muhammad Ali Nafti and other senior officials as part of a broader tour of North Africa.
The discussion focused on strengthening bilateral relations and adjusting regional status in the face of an increase in Israeli aggression.
Meet President Said
In a meeting with Tunisian President Kais Said, Aragut highlighted Iran’s satisfaction with the growing trajectory of Tehran-Tunis relations. He praised Tunisia’s stance on solid support for regional development, particularly the Palestinian cause, and steady support for the recent condemnation of US and Israeli attacks, including a strike on Iran.
President Said described the relationship between Iran and Tunicia as “brothers,” emphasising that they are built on the convergence of mutual respect, understanding and views. He reaffirmed Tunisia’s resolve to expand cooperation across all areas of common concern, including economic exchanges, tourism, and regional diplomacy.
Both sides exchanged opinions on the local crisis, focusing specifically on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. They condemned the ongoing genocide and crime of the Israeli regime on Palestinians, repeated attacks on neighboring countries, and recent terrorist attacks on Qatar. The two leaders called for stronger regional cooperation to combat Israeli warming.
Discussion with Tunisian Foreign Minister
Earlier in the day, Araguchi was welcomed by Tunisian Foreign Minister Muhammed Ali Nafti. The two ministers have agreed to measures to consider the steady growth of bilateral relations and further expand cooperation in the economic, trade, science, healthcare, culture and tourism sectors.
They emphasized the importance of establishing a direct flight between Tehran and Tunis, saying this would significantly boost the economic and tourism links. Both sides also agreed to convene a joint economic committee session in Tehran in the near future to accelerate actual cooperation.
On regional issues, the two ministers expressed strong concern over Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis and condemned Israeli invasion on occupied Palestinian territory. They also condemned Israeli terrorist attacks on Qatar on Tuesday, which targeted Hamas’ political leadership and led to multiple civilian casualties.
Foreign Minister Nafti further reaffirms Tunisia’s position to condemn us, and Israel has attacked Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities, calling them a violation of Iran’s sovereignty. He emphasized the rights of all non-nutrition treaty members, including Iran, to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. He also praised Tehran’s constructive involvement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), urging all parties to adopt a diplomatic and collaborative approach.
Joint press conference
On Wednesday evening, Aragucci held a joint press conference in Tunis, during which he highlighted the outcome of a meeting with Tunisian officials, addressing regional security challenges.
“The Zionist regime poses the greatest threat to peace and security in our region, and it requires collective regional decisions to tackle it,” he said.
Aragut added that the discussions between President Saeed and Foreign Minister Nafti focused on Israeli attacks across the region, including Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and more recently Qatar.
“We are grateful for Tunisia’s clear and firm attitude in condemning the Zionist regime on Iran’s Islamic Republic and the US’s coronavirus attacks,” he said. “Tunisia’s position in condemning these attacks and expressing solidarity with the Iranian people was crucial and transparent.”
The Foreign Minister also recalled that Tunisian President Sayed was on a trip to Iran last year and attended a meeting between the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the leader of the Islamic Revolution, and called Ali Khamenei Seyed Ali Khamenei.
Araguchi also announced that both sides have made “good decisions” to expand cooperation between tourism, medicine, science and culture. He confirmed that the Joint Economic Committee of Iran and Tunicia will be convened immediately in Tehran to follow up on the agreements reached during his visit.