Diplomatic Service: Tunisia's Mother of all Revolutions

Tunisia: The Mother of All Revolutions

Dr. Jassim Taqui

Message of H. E Mr. Adel Elarbi, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to Pakistan on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Tunisia

It gives me great pleasure to address the brotherly people of Pakistan on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Tunisia.  

The commemoration of the anniversary of Independence Day provides the opportunity to celebrate with immense exuberance and joy enriched with a sense of patriotism and faith in our country as well as to reflect upon the outstanding achievements made by Tunisian people over the past five years. 

Tunisian people have liberated themselves from the yoke of colonization and oppression; they have seized upon eternal principles and set a glorious example in the region. Tunisians have successfully institutionalized their revolution by electing a new Parliament which appointed a new Government, a new President of the Republic and charted a new constitution. Recently, the coronation of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet with the prestigious 2015 Nobel Peace Prize came at a pivotal moment for the nascent Tunisian democracy to steer Tunisia away from the path to conflict towards the path to political compromise and assure a smooth transition from an authoritarian to a democratic state.

Every year, March 20th is an auspicious day for all Tunisians to solemnly salute, respect and truly acknowledge our brave men and women, who sacrificed their lives to gain freedom for our country. We have earned our independence through blood, sweat and tears. We must pay tribute to our martyrs who sacrificed their lives to gift us freedom. On this day, we shall as well salute all our national heroes and leaders who guided us from confinement to freedom.

          The commemoration of the Independence Day should remind us that there is no perfect nation, but it is our duty to make it perfect. In this connection, we are aware of the obstacles and challenges that remain to realize in terms of eradicating extremism, implementing the adequate economic policies that will to tackle the problems of poverty, unemployment, regional disparities, establishing reforms that create a climate conducive to private initiative and business and stimulating growth through trade diversification and access to new markets.

The European Union is by far Tunisia’s largest partner; Tunisia is as well actively engaged in the Maghreb integration process. Tunisia has also concluded a preferential trade arrangement with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and is in talks with the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) as well as with several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and in the Near and Middle East. In this connection, Tunisia is in talks with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to conclude a preferential trade arrangement in order to upgrade the bilateral relations between them to the highest levels of cooperation and partnership.