At the Presidential Palace in Carthage, Tunisia, on Monday (May 5), the Tunisian President Kais Saied met with the Director General of the International Organization for Migration, Amy Pope. During the meeting, the Tunisian President reiterated his country's refusal to be an area of transit or a country hosting irregular migrants.

In a statement issued by his office, Saied stressed that "this phenomenon is not coincidental but fuelled by criminal networks dedicated to human trafficking and organ trading in Africa and the northern Mediterranean."

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Migrants are victims of unfair global economic system, says Saied

According to the president, migrants "weren't less vulnerable in the past but the scope of this phenomenon has significantly increased."

Saied said in the statement that migrants are now seeking "safe shelters" because they are "victims of an unfair global economic system -- a system also endured by Tunisia which is among the victims", he continued, stressing the country's pride for its African identity. "Africa, rich in resources, should belong to Africans," he said.

Tunisia has dealt with significant costs and can no longer bear the current situation, stated Saied, urging the IOM to double down on efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia, and provide financial support for their reintegration and cooperate with the affected sides to track down those reported missing during their journeys by land and sea.

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Pope and Nafti discuss cooperation, voluntary return of irregular migrants

Before meeting with Saied, the director general of the IOM, who was in Tunisia for a two-day visit, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Ali Nafti, for a working session during which several forms of cooperation between Tunisia and the IOM were discussed.

Nafti and Pope also spoke about the results reached to date with the voluntary return program that the IOM is helping operate in the country. There has been a significant increase in the numbers signing up to the voluntary program, compared to those who were beneficiaries of the project last year.

During the meeting, Nafti highlighted the importance of joining efforts to accelerate the implementation of the voluntary return program for irregular migrants, asking international partners to provide more support to help IOM promote such activities.

The minister stressed how the program is implemented "in respect of the principles of human rights and of Tunisia's commitment in favor of exemplary ethical behavior towards the victims of human trafficking networks."

Nafti concluded stressing that Tunisia is willing to facilitate a "smooth" return of irregular immigrants to their countries of origin.

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Strategies to promote voluntary repatriations discussed

In a statement, Pope expressed satisfaction for the meeting with the Tunisian president, saying the pair had discussed the "urgent issue of irregular migration, which concerns the entire international community."

The IOM's Director General said she had agreed with Saied to adopt an effective approach to find solutions that can save human lives and provide assistance to victims.

Pope added that she had explored with Saied strategies to promote voluntary repatriations, guarantee dignified lives and create job opportunities for a sustainable reintegration in migrants' home countries. "Such measures would benefit all sides involved at a national, regional and international level," she said.