“Tunisia is in a very difficult situation, with obvious political fragility and an imminent risk of default,” she said during a session with the other leaders of the seven main industrialized countries.
“Negotiations between the International Monetary Fund and Tunisia are, in fact, at a standstill,” she added, according to statements transmitted by her delegation.
According to Meloni, the international financial institution is showing “intransigence” because it “has not obtained” from Tunisian President Kais Saied “all the necessary guarantees”.
“On the one hand, it’s understandable, but on the other hand, is this intransigence the best way forward? If this government falls, do we know the alternatives? I think this approach has to be practical, otherwise we risk exacerbating an already bad situation,” she said.
On the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Meloni met with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to discuss “the issue of migration, and in particular Tunisia”, according to the same Italian source.
“They were joined by US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, for a short period,” said the same source.
France also considers the completion of an aid program between Tunisia and the International Monetary Fund a “priority”.
Tunisia, heavily indebted to the tune of 80% of gross domestic product, obtained initial approval from the International Monetary Fund in mid-October to obtain a new loan of around two billion dollars to help it overcome its serious financial crisis. .
But the talks stalled due to a lack of firm commitment from Tunisia to restructure more than 100 debt-ridden public institutions and remove subsidies on certain commodities.
Westerners are worried about the lack of progress and the possible collapse of the Tunisian economy. In Europe, leaders including Meloni fear this could lead to a significant increase in the number of migrants arriving on European shores.
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