TUNIS, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Ammar met with visiting European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni on Monday to discuss his country's economic reforms and potential new financial assistance.
During the meeting, Ammar said Tunisia would first rely on mobilizing its own resources and "on the support of its partners, including the European Union," read a ministry statement.
The minister said he had invited the European side to show more understanding of his country's current situation.
For his part, Gentiloni underlined the quality of the bilateral partnership and expressed the willingness of the European side to continue its support to Tunisia.
Nabil and Gentiloni discussed the various aspects of cooperation between the two sides, especially in the areas of investment, education, higher education and energy, said the statement.
It added that they also discussed the issue of migration and the need to adopt a comprehensive approach that considers the economic and social dimensions of this phenomenon.
Gentiloni made his visit following a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council held in Brussels on March 20, where EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said, "the situation in Tunisia is very, very dangerous" and warned of repercussions in Europe.
Tunisia is sinking into a major economic crisis. Because it missed key commitments, Tunisia has yet to secure a 1.9-billion-U.S.dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund, which could have further facilitated obtaining more loans and aid through bilateral agreements between Tunisia and other countries. ■