Tunisian Foreign Minister Participates in MED9++ Summit in Rome
May 7, 2026
Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti participated in a video conference meeting of the MED9++ summit in Rome on Thursday, May 7, 2026, focusing on food security and fertilizer supply issues.
Regional and International Cooperation
The meeting brought together nearly 40 countries and several regional and international organizations, co-chaired by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Croatian Diplomatic Chief Gordan Grlić Radman, who are currently presiding over the summit. The discussions centered on strengthening coordination among states to ensure global food security, particularly in the face of supply chain tensions and challenges related to fertilizer access, including through international strategic routes.
Tunisian Minister's Key Messages
In his address, the Tunisian Foreign Minister emphasized the need to ensure global food security and equitable access to agricultural inputs, calling for a unified stance to condemn the use of hunger as a means of pressure or conflict. He presented a series of proposals aimed at strengthening cooperation within the MED9++ framework, including:
- Diversifying primary material sources, particularly for fertilizer production, to reduce the impact of geopolitical tensions and enhance regional resilience.
- Supporting local and regional production, which he described as a strategic and sovereign choice, through investment in agricultural value chains and the transfer of technologies and innovation.
- Establishing innovative financing mechanisms tailored to Southern countries to support their production systems and enable them to better withstand global market fluctuations.
- Creating regional early warning systems and logistics coordination mechanisms to enhance the collective capacity of affected countries to anticipate crises and secure supply chains.
Tunisian Priorities
The Tunisian delegation also advocated for more equitable access to agricultural products from Southern countries to European markets through facilitation mechanisms reflecting a logic of solidarity and shared benefits. The Minister estimated that these orientations align with the European initiative of the Mediterranean Pact, highlighting that the main challenge now lies in transforming initiatives into concrete commitments with adequate implementation mechanisms and resources.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Tunisian Foreign Minister emphasized the need to strengthen a modern and resilient agricultural sector capable of coping with climate shocks and global market fluctuations, while ensuring stable and equitable access to agricultural inputs and sustainable water resource management. He also stated that Tunisia has the necessary potential to become a regional center for the production and distribution of phosphate fertilizers, contributing to the food security of several dependent countries.
