Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie and his Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui met in Buenos Aires on Monday (6.5.2019) to discuss agricultural cooperation projects and the advancement of relations between Tunisia and Mercosur.
Minister Jhinaoui stressed the importance of increasing the frequency of "technical visits" to Argentina by representatives of the Tunisian government to foster cooperation.
Faurie announced a visit by the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture in June, an opportunity, according to Jhinaoui, to meet "with experts and with Argentine officials and authorities" to discuss an issue that is a "major priority" for this South American nation.
«HWe have managed to identify sectors that are extremely promising from the point of view of the potential for bilateral cooperation, such as agriculture, in which we have proven experience and we have no doubt that Argentina can provide data and knowledge that is very useful for our country.", said the Tunisian minister.
Argentina and Tunisia cooperate technically in the agricultural sector, with the collaboration of the Argentine Fund for South-South and Triangular Cooperation (FOAR), through operations aimed at improving the sheep and goat production chain, and in a program on fine cereals.
Trade ties with Tunisia gained strength at the beginning of this year, when Mauricio Macri's government announced that the first shipment of 25 tons of boneless beef would be made to a Tunisian importer.
The Tunisian foreign minister expressed his "desire" for Argentina to use "its influence" to help the country continue to move forward on an agreement with Mercosur, which also includes Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
«A first round of negotiations was already held in 2017 and we would like to continue making progress in this direction.", said the Tunisian about an agreement with Mercosur.
«Our intention is to continue deepening exchanges at an economic level and specifically at a commercial level; and Argentina is a partner that Tunisia specifically chooses to develop cooperation activities.", Jhinaoui continued.
Another sector where he highlighted the "particularly fruitful possibilities for cooperation" was digital technologies.
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