News

During the first such high-level visit in the Republic of Tunisia on 7-8 October, the Lithuanian delegation led by Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antanas Valionis met with the country’s Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Habib Ben Yahia, Minister of Industry, Handicraft and Tourism Mondher Zenaidi and chiefs of the Employers’ Association. At the meetings, the most topical issues of the bilateral and regional cooperation, i.e. development of the legal basis and political contacts, perspectives of the Barcelona process, the EU New Neighbours Initiative and the situation in Iraq and the Middle East were discussed. Antanas Valionis provided with comprehensive information on Lithuania’s preparation to the EU membership, participation in the EU institutions and the Intergovernmental Conference, where the draft EU Constitutional Treaty is being discussed. Minister Valionis and the Tunisian officials also discussed the growth of the Lithuanian and Tunisian economies and the perspectives of their development. The Tunisian officials informed on the course of creating a free trade zone, which would cover the Northern African countries, and presented the evaluation of the regional processes. The participants of the conversations expressed their interest in the development of the Lithuanian-Tunisian business relations and discussed the actual steps in this direction, namely initiation of contacts between the chambers of industry, commerce and handicraft as well as visits of business delegations. During the meetings, the officials expressed hope for the successful use of adequate regional experience and mentioned the possibility for Lithuania to become a bridge of the Tunisian business to the eastern markets. Lithuania’s capacity in the field of haulage business and the potential of Klaipėda harbour could serve this purpose.