Costa hails Tunisia’s ‘democratic consolidation’

Portugal’s prime minister, António Costa, on Tuesday expressed his government’s support for Tunisia’s process of “democratic consolidation” and the economic and social reforms underway in the country, stressing his commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.

The position was conveyed by Costa on his official account on the social network Twitter, after he received the prime minister of Tunisia, Hichem Mechichi, at his official residence in Lisbon.

“Today I received the prime minister of Tunisia, Hichem Mechichi, to whom I conveyed Portugal’s support for democratic consolidation and economic and social reforms, in addition to our commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, especially on the economic side,” Costa wrote.

Tweet from @antoniocostapm

In November 2017, Costa made a two-day official visit to Tunisia, where he publicly stated Portugal’s commitment to helping prevent and fight terrorism. At the end of what was the fourth summit between the two countries, in Tunis, he also expressed clear support for the democratic consolidation process in Tunisia, which he said he considered to be exemplary in the Arab world.

“We are not only good neighbours of Tunisia,” he said at the time. “We are, with each passing day, stronger friends of Tunisia.

“This country symbolises in a special way the success of the democratic transition in the Arab world,” he went on in his remarks in 2017. “I am sure that these steps taken at this summit will help to consolidate the democratic transition process [in Tunisia] and to strengthen relations between the two countries.”

Tunisia had two years earlier suffered three major terrorist attacks: on the Bardo Museum in the capital, where 22 people died; at a beachfront hotel, resulting in 38 deaths; and in the centre of the capital on a bus carrying presidential guards, with 12 deaths.