Tunisian President Kais Saied met on Friday at the Carthage Palace with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, who handed him a letter from the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.

The meeting was an opportunity for Saied to express Tunisia's firm stance with the Palestinian people and its constant support for their legitimate right to establish their independent state on all the land of Palestine with Al-Quds as its capital, according to a statement issued by the Presidency of the Republic.

The President praised the strength and excellence of the relations between Tunisia and Mauritania, as well as the deep-rooted civilizational ties between the two countries, recalling the milestones of their common history, especially the fact that Tunisia was the first country to recognize the independence of Mauritania in November 1960.

During the meeting, the Tunisian President renewed his invitation to the Mauritanian President to visit Tunisia. “Such a visit would help to consolidate the existing tradition of coordination between the two countries and give a new impetus to partnership relations, not only in traditional areas of cooperation but also in new and promising sectors such as gas and ions, and boost trade between the two countries.”

The meeting was also an opportunity for the President of the Republic to underline Tunisia's pride in its African dimension and its desire to contribute actively to the development of joint work and to improve the opportunities for consultation and consensus among African countries, at bilateral and multilateral levels, in order to achieve the aspirations of the peoples of the continent.

For his part, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad said in a video released by the Presidency that the meeting discussed the current challenges at the Arab, African and international levels, in particular the escalating tensions at the global level linked to the "war of annihilation" being waged by the Israeli occupation army against the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

In this context, he stressed the similarity of views between the leaders of the two countries on the just Palestinian issue and the rights of the dispossessed Palestinian people.