18 June 2007
On 18 June 2007, the Deputy Secretary General of NATO H.E. Ambassador Alessandro Minuto Rizzo and the Minister of Defence of Tunisia H.E. Mr. Kamel Morjane opened a two-day conference on: “NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue".
The conference, co-organised by NATO Public Diplomacy Division and the Diplomatic Institute for Training and Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, is taking place in Tunis.
"2006 has been a year of global strengthening during which Tunisia has in fact substantially reinforced its participation (…) We were very pleased to see that Tunisia wished to establish an individual cooperation programme with NATO, in order to better organise and target its practical cooperation (…) We have also been very satisfied with its participation, during the past few years, to several joint meetings with our respective foreign and defence ministers and our chiefs of staff " said Ambassador Minuto Rizzo.
"NATO is very grateful to Tunisia for its active commitment. The mutual benefits are obvious. We just need to seize the opportunities lying before us. Finally, I hope and I am convinced that our meetings today and tomorrow will be an important stage towards mutual understanding and enhancing of our cooperation."
On 18 June, speakers included Mr. Nicola de Santis, Head of MD and ICI Countries Section, PDD, Dr. Patrick Hardouin, Deputy Assistant Secretary General, PASP, Mr. Jameleddine Maazoun, Academic, Dr. Keith Gardner, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Scientific Cooperation, PDD, and Mr. Nehdi Mlika, President of the Mediterranean Network for Sustainable Development (AREMEDD).
On 19 June, Dr. Patrick Hardouin, Deputy Assistant Secretary General, PASP, and Col.Maj. Mohamed Ghorbel spoke before NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy H.E. Mr. Jean Fournet, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia H.E. Mr. Ilatem Ben Salem closed the conference. The chairs of the panels were H.E. Mr. Tahar Sioud, former Minister, H.E. Amb. Abderrazak Attia, former Ambassador, and H.E. Amb. Mongi Lahbib, former Ambassador.
Ambassador Minuto Rizzo also had a bilateral meeting with the Defense Minister of Tunisia, Mr. Kamel Morjane, to exchange views on the way forward of NATO-Tunisia relations, in the framework of the Mediteranean Dialogue partnership.
On the margin of the conference, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Mr. Jean Fournet had a bilateral meeting with Tunisian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Mr. Ilatem Ben Salem.
