EU's foreign chief considers Tunisia visit to assess country's 'dire situation'

Josep Borrell attends meeting in Brussels to discuss Tunisian situation

Mr Borrell at Monday's foreign ministers' council meeting in Brussels. EPA

Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, on Monday said he was considering a visit to Tunisia, as he voiced concerns about its current situation and described President Kais Saied’s remarks about sub-Saharan migrants in the country as "unacceptable".

Mr Borrell, also Vice President of the European Commission, was speaking on Monday as he arrived in Brussels for an EU foreign ministers' meeting, at which events in Tunisia were to be high on the agenda.

The European Parliament adopted by an overwhelming majority a resolution condemning what it called “the recent attacks against freedom of expression and association and trade unions in Tunisia”.

The parliament also called on the European Commission, through its resolution, to suspend EU funded-support programmes to Tunisia's ministries of justice and interior affairs.

“The President of Tunisia is facing a situation where political instability comes together with a dire economic situation,” Mr Borrell said.

The EU official highlighted that the current challenges involved a continuing delay regarding an International Monetary Fund deal, making Tunisia a priority subject to discuss at Monday’s meeting.

Mr Borrell said he could soon visit Tunisia, pending the results of the discussion.

The meeting on the situation in Tunisia comes as more than 20 political figures have been arrested in the North African country in recent weeks, as well as a crackdown on sub-Saharan migrants in the country after a statement made by Mr Saied on February 21, which was widely condemned, including by the African Union, as "racially motivated hate speech".

The leader rejected what he called “sub-Saharan African occupation” and the “attempts to alter the demographic composition of Tunisia”, sparking a widespread backlash both domestically and overseas.