Foreign Minister Diana Mondino and the Ambassador from the Republic of Tunisia to Argentina, Mohamed Ali Ben Abid, reviewed the extensive bilateral agenda, with a view to deepening cooperation in various fields.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Foreign Minister and the Ambassador went over the existing agreements between both countries, as well as those currently under negotiation. Regarding existing agreements, the officials highlighted the importance of the Technical Cooperation Agreement signed in 2019.
In connection with those under negotiation, the Foreign Minister and the Ambassador discussed the status of the negotiations for various Framework Cooperation Agreements, namely the agreements on Air Transport; on Maritime Transport; on Industry (INTI/APII); on Customs Cooperation and Assistance; the agreement between the Argentine Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Devices (ANMAT) and its Tunisian counterpart; and the agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation between the parties. The officials reaffirmed their Government’s willingness to renew their efforts to conclude the negotiations, in order to promote bilateral cooperation.
Then, they underscored the importance of increasing and diversifying trade between both countries and highlighted the opportunities offered by the Tunisian market to the agri-food, space and pharmaceutical sectors.
Finally, Ambassador Ben Abid extended an invitation to the Foreign Minister for Argentina to participate in exhibitions and trade promotion events of the coffee, agribusiness and aerospace sectors that will be held in Tunisia.
Argentina and Tunisia established their diplomatic relations in 1961. The latest available figures show that, in 2023, Argentina’s exports to Tunisia reached USD 63.9 million, and imports from Tunisia amounted to USD 32.6 million, with a USD 31.2-million surplus for Argentina. In that same year, Argentina’s exports to the North African country were mainly concentrated on animal or vegetable fats and oils (26.4%) and grain (12.7%).
