Tunisian president visits Qatar for the second time after taking office.
Tunisia’s president Kais Saied met with the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim on Sunday to discuss ways to strengthen both countries’ economic and diplomatic relations.
In an official tweet, the Amir welcomed Saied, affirming the strong relations between Doha and Tunis adding that they both “exchanged views on vital issues concerning the security and interests” of their peoples.
نرحب بالأخ الرئيس قيس سعيّد في قطر ونؤكد على متانة علاقات الأخوة بين بلدينا. أجرينا مباحثات حول تعميق وتوثيق التعاون الثنائي في شتى المجالات، وتبادلنا الرأي في قضايا حيوية تهم أمن ومصالح شعوبنا. نجدد وقوفنا مع الأشقاء في تونس لتحقيق الاستقرار والتنمية والتوافق. pic.twitter.com/ctoBf3G449
— تميم بن حمد (@TamimBinHamad) November 15, 2020
Saied’s visit comes in response to an official invitation from the Amir to discuss bilateral relations between both countries, in addition to issues of joint interest.
Tunisian ambassador Sami al-Saidi announced that Saied’s visit will last three days, affirming that the visit “reflects the high pace of exchange and consultations between the two brotherly countries.”
This meeting reflects both countries’ strong diplomatic ties, especially given that Qatar was Saied’s second destination in October after he took the office.
“Within less than one year, and under an exceptional global circumstance overshadowed by the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), two visits are accomplished, the first of which was His Highness the Amir made to Tunisia after a few months of the presidential and legislative elections in Tunisia,” said the ambassador.
Al-Saidi also stressed that Qatar is among the few countries “that have received such visits in such a space of time,” and added that the President’s trip to Doha could potentially give additional impetus to the partnership between the two countries.
However, even before Saied took office, Tunisia and Qatar had close relations in several fields.
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To strengthen and consolidate Tunisia’s development, Sheikh Tamim announced that Qatar would direct an amount of $ 1.25bn in support of its economy before the opening of “Tunisia 2020,” an international investment conference that was held back in 2016.
In addition, in the last decade, Qatari exports to Tunisia have increased almost six times, while Tunisian exports to Qatar rose tenfold during the same period.
The Qatar Fund For Development has also been encouraging private initiatives and projects for creating jobs for thousands of Tunisian youth and fostering entrepreneurship in Qatar through the Qatari-Tunisian Friendship Fund, setup in 2017.
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