Tunisia is holding two high joint commission meetings with the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), under the chairmanship of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Othman Jerandi.
The first will be held on December 3 and 4, 2021 in Brazzaville and the second in Kinshasa from December 6 to 8, Bouzekri Rmili, Tunisia’s ambassador accredited to these two countries told TAP.
“These two meetings are eagerly awaited since the last sessions were held in October 2008 and June 1989, respectively,” he said, adding that they should enrich the legal framework governing bilateral relations and discuss ways to boost cooperation and partnership.
The Tunisian diplomat said the partnership agreements to be signed with the Republic of Congo will cover the areas of posts, new information and technologies communication, industry and SMEs, in addition to social affairs, youth, sport and culture.
The Tunisian Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation and the Congolese Agency for the Development of SMEs will also sign a cooperation agreement.
Rmili recalled that no visit by a Tunisian official has been made to Brazzaville (Congo) since 2009 (the Secretary of State for Foreign Trade).
Regarding DRC, agreements are expected to be signed in the fields of Air Transport (initialed in Tunis on April 16, 2018), besides considering enhanced cooperation in social promotion, and agreements in the fields of hydrocarbons, vocational training and continuing education, in addition to cooperation in the field of tourism.
There are also other draft agreements that are being negotiated and may be signed in the context of these two high joint commission meetings.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Othman Jerandi had visited Kinshasa from March 22 to 25, 2021, heading a large delegation of business people. He had chaired with his Congolese counterpart the 3rd session of the Tunisian-Congolese business forum.
The visit of the Tunisian FM to the DRC is the first of its kind in over 40 years, while the one made by former President of the Republic Moncef Marzouki in 2012 was part of his participation in the 14th session of the Summit of the Francophonie.
The Tunisian ambassador said the DRC could be the largest African market for Tunisians, especially since it imports most of its food needs, despite a large agricultural area of 80 million hectares.
The DRC, the second largest African country in terms of area after Algeria, shares its borders with 9 countries, which allows it to become a regional platform, says Rmili, adding that the first community of African students in Tunisia is from this central African country (more than 4000 students).
The value of exports from Tunisia to DRC has exceeded 21 million dollars in 2020, or about 57 million dinars.
A significant number of Congolese have chosen Tunisia for medical care.
Ad for the Republic of Congo, it is ranked third in the CEMAC (Central African Economic and Monetary Community) zone.
Congo, which is rich in natural resources, has significant oil reserves and mineral potential, including an iron deposit ranked among the largest in West and Central Africa.
Congo Brazzaville’s mining industry also includes the production of cement, potash, diamonds and gold. Several Tunisian companies have won infrastructure tenders in this country such as “STEG International”.
