SOCIETY 370 / 2016

DIPLOMATIE
TUNESIEN
The Honorary Consuls of
Tunisia at the reception of the
Head of Government
Gerti Tauchhammer with the
Tunisian Head of Government,
Youssef Chahed
First General Conference
of Honorary Consuls
Under the high patronage of the President of the
Republic of Tunisia, the “First General Conference
of Honorary Consuls” was held in Hammamet on
3 – 4 October 2016.
The Tunisian Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Khemaies Jhinaoui
In the opening speech, H.E Minister of Foreign
Affairs emphasized the crucial role of the Honorary
Consuls in reinforcing investment, economic
partnership and cooperation between
Tunisia and its member countries.
He insisted that the Tunisian Government relies
on the contribution of its Honorary Consuls Members
for a successful International Conference on
Investment and Economy that had taken place on
29-30th November 2016 encouraging a high-level
participation during the Conference. In the same
context, he reiterated the President’s invitation of
the International Community, announced during
the 71st ordinary Session of the United Nations General
Assembly, to actively participate in the Conference
in a way to prove its solidarity with Tunisia and
to support its economy. He also urged them to advertise
Tunisia as a safe destination and try to convince
the governments of the International Community to
lift the travel advice, highlighting the Tunisian commitment
to ensure the safety of its visitors.
He also recalled that, despite the success of the
democratic transition, the adoption of a new progressive
Constitution and the organization of free
and fair elections, Tunisia is still undergoing seri-
ous economic challenges that threaten its nascent
democracy in a complex global context.
He expressed his hope that the support of all the
partnership countries and their efforts to fight terrorism
would result in economic support in order to
strengthen its stability and sustain democracy.
His Excellency’s speech was followed by interactive
debate where the Honorary Consuls expressed
their comments and inquiries about the future plan
of the Tunisian government to provide an attractive
environment for foreign investment and the privileges
and reforms recently introduced. •
The Honorary
Consuls at the
conference
Fotos: christian rössler, government of tunisia
36 | SOCIETY 2_2016