Summary:

On 22 October 2024, Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, called President Kais Saied to congratulate him on his re-election after his swearing-in before the two parliamentary chambers. 

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The call was an opportunity to affirm the strength of relations between the two countries and the common desire to strengthen them further through bilateral agreements and cooperation with the European Union. 

The two leaders discussed the projects identified within the framework of the New Mattei Plan for Africa and migration cooperation, confirming their common desire to organize in Tunisia the second conference of the Rome Process during the next year. 

President Saied stressed that Tunisia is working with Italy and its other European partners to ensure the return of irregular migrants present on Tunisian soil to their countries of origin. 

Outlook: 

Giorgia Meloni is the first Western leader to congratulate President Saied for his re-election. This highlights the importance of cooperation in migration control for President Saied’s international legitimacy and Italy’s intent to continue investing in Tunisia as a central piece of its strategy to counter irregular migration. 

This cooperation is likely to continue drawing criticism from civil society organizations while permitting the regime to access the technical and financial means to combat irregular migration to Tunisia. 

Tunisian-Italian efforts to link energy grids off North Africa and Italy through the Elmed project are also making Tunisia an indispensable partner for Italy as the relationship between the two countries continues to expand. 

However, the fact that Giorgia Meloni is the only Western leader to congratulate President Saied points to continued hesitance in Western capitals to affirm the Tunisian regime while being willing to overlook the expanding bilateral activities undertaken by Italy. 

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