Tunisian president Kais Saied has told the head of the European Council that his country will not be responsible for stopping irregular migration to Europe. He added that Tunisia was not a place of transit or settlement for migrants.
Tunisia's head of state, Kais Saied, has spoken with the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, about migrants and the International Monetary Fund.
During a phone call between the two men on June 14, Saied reiterated his position on "irregular" migration and asked for a shared approach to deal with the causes of migration.
He also repeated his proposal to hold an international meeting bringing together the countries affected.
'Tunisia will not be a guardian of Europe's borders'
According to a statement issued by the Tunisian president's office on Wednesday, Saied said Tunisia will not be a guardian of Europe's borders in preventing the flow of illegal immigrants as the country can only guard its own borders.
"There are criminal networks that traffic in human beings in the countries of origin or in countries of destination in Europe," Saied said.
He added that Tunisia "refuses to be a place of transit or settlement for migrants."
Michel wrote on Twitter following the phone call: "Tunisia's prosperity, economic stability and democracy are our priorities. The EU stands alongside Tunisia. The EU remains engaged with Tunisia to jointly address the challenge of migration."