Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, currently on a visit to Tunisian President Béji Essebsi, has expressed Nigeria’s desire to further strengthen and expand cooperation with the North African country in the area of trade and investment.

A statement released by the Minister’s media aide, Mrs Sarah Sanda, on Sunday in Abuja stated that Mr. Onyeama visited Tunisian President at the Carthage Palace in Tunis.

Onyeama’s visit to that country was on the invitation of his Tunisian counterpart, Mr. Khémaies Jhinaoui.

It was the first time in over 30 years that a high level Nigerian official will be visiting Tunisia.

The Minister expressed Nigeria’s desire to further develop trade exchanges and to benefit from the investment opportunities available in both countries.

He spoke of the need to raise the level of cooperation between all African countries, considering that trade exchange between African countries is still weak.

Onyeama also reviewed the challenges faced by Nigeria and emphasised that the priorities of the government’s work were to end terrorism.

According to him, other priorities of the government include establishing a system of good governance, create jobs for young people, and diversify the income sources of the Nigerian economy.

He expressed his admiration for the success of the democratic transition in Tunisia and the efforts made by the President to achieve greater stability in the country

Responding, the Tunisian President stressed the need for enhanced cooperation between both countries.

He also emphasised the need for both countries to share experiences through the exchange of visits between senior officials.

The President therefore renewed his invitation to President Muhammadu Buhari, who he described as his brother, to visit Tunisia at his convenience.

Essebsi stressed the importance of developing a comprehensive and unified strategy to develop cooperation between African countries in all fields according to a progressive and progressive approach.

This, he said, included economic aspects, security aspects and ways to crack down the phenomenon of terrorism through close coordination and cooperation among all the countries of the continent.

The President encouraged Nigeria to play its natural pivotal role in the development of the African continent to achieve a better future for its peoples. (NAN)

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