(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) EU Commissioner for trade Cecilia Malmstrom has welcomed the announcement by the Prime Minister of Tunisia, Habib Essid, during his visit to Brussels on Thursday that his country is ready to launch negotiations on an ambitious partnership with the EU on trade and investment.
"This will be a major step towards progressively integrating Tunisia in the EU internal market and making Tunisia more attractive for investments. I will be glad to travel to Tunisia in the autumn to launch these negotiations with my Tunisian counterpart," she said in a statement last night.
The EU Commissioner regretted that she was unable to meet Essid in Brussels, as she is currently in Tokyo to attend the EU-Japan Summit on Friday.
"Tunisia has always been a country at the forefront of Euro-Mediterranean trade relations. The EU is Tunisia's main trading partner and main source of imports and exports. Last year, total trade amounted to approximately EUR 20 billion," she noted.
She said that "Tunisia's democratic progress of recent years is a true success story and an inspiring example for the region as a whole.
"I see the year 2015 as a crucial one for EU relations with our North African partners. The EU stands ready to give a new push to the already launched negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with Morocco, and to start new such negotiations with Tunisia. We need more trade, more investment, and more cooperation across the Mediterranean," added Malmstrom.
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