No foreign miniltary bases will be established in Tunisia, says minister

Tunisian foreign minister Khemis Djhinaoui said his country refuses to establish foreign military bases. “Tunisian-Algerian relations are strong and reflected in many cooperation fields.”

“The Tunisian State expressed its position through a statement made by a spokesman for the defence ministry,” Djhinaoui told Echorouk.

This comes as the NATO command announced that it would support local security forces in Tunisia via an intelligence center.

Earlier on Monday, Belehcene Al-Ouasslati, a spokesman for the Tunisian defence ministry told a news conference that his country is opened to friend countries’ experience. It has cooperation and partnership relations with many armies as part of clear conventions.

“The Tunisian national army wants to benefit from the NATO’s military experience in many fields including the war on terror. Cooperation touches intelligence in training and information exchange. This field is very important for the Tunisian defence ministry,” he added.

Speaking about the establishment of western military bases, the minister said Tunisia refuses to open its lands for foreign bases.