Foreign Minister meets his Malian counterpart in Kampala on sidelines of the Non-Aligned Summit

The long-standing relations between Tunisia and Mali and ways of developing them, as well as the situation in the Sahel region and on the African continent, were the focus of a meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar, and his Malian counterpart, Abdoulaye Diop, on the sidelines of his participation in the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kampala, Uganda. The Malian Minister welcomed the climate of understanding, solidarity and mutual respect that has long characterised relations between the two countries and expressed the hope that the meetings of the joint commissions would resume as soon as possible, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The head of Malian diplomacy thanked Tunisia for its decision to renew the quota of university scholarships for Malian students and praised the good treatment of his country's nationals by the Tunisian authorities. For his part, Nabil Ammar reaffirmed Tunisia's determination to streng then ties of friendship and cooperation and to consolidate the tradition of communication and consultation with neighbouring countries in the service of common interests. In this context, he recalled the positive and constructive talks held recently with the Malian Minister for Migration and Malians Abroad, which clarified Tunisia's position and approach to irregular migration. The Foreign Minister also stressed Tunisia's desire to continue cooperation with Mali in the field of higher education, which would have a positive impact on relations between the two countries and peoples. On another level, the Malian Minister gave Nabil Ammar an overview of the evolution of the political and security situation in his country following the withdrawal last December of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). In this context, he highlighted the challenges facing the Malian authorities and the efforts being made to preserve the unity and territorial sovereignty of the co untry. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse