Tunisia will not allow itself to become a border control agent for other nations, Tunisian President Kais Saied said Saturday, amid the country's ongoing financial woes and the migration crisis facing both Tunisia and European Union countries.
European leaders, alarmed by the increasing number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, mainly through Tunisia, are visiting the East African country on Sunday.
Among the topics of the visit by EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is the extension of their countries' financial support to Tunisia, according to PM Meloni.
"The solution will not be at the expense of Tunisia... we cannot be a guard for their countries," President Saied said in a statement during a Saturday visit to the Tunisian port city of Sfax, a major point of departure for illegal migrants trying to cross into Europe by boat.
In April, in an interview with Sputnik, Mahmoud ben Mabrouk, the official representative of the Tunisian pro-presidential 25th of July Movement, accused the EU of being responsible for the migration crisis in Tunisia, arguing that EU countries are trying to impose their vision of governance on President Saied.
The Tunisian politician noted that Western countries are currently using every issue concerning Tunisia's domestic and foreign policies to force Tunisia to "accept their conditions and dictates."
For many months, Tunisia has been in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to obtain a loan to support its economy, which is facing financial and economic constraints.
However, the IMF bailout plan has been suspended because President Saied refused to make the economic adjustments required by the financial agency to unlock the funds. Donor nations have urged the Tunisian leader to change course, with Italy pressing the IMF to complete the loan deal.