The Tunisian President Kais Saied received today Monday at the Palace of Carthage, the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud-Basso, who is visiting Tunisia from February 19 to 20.

During the meeting, Saied stressed the importance of strengthening dialogue between Tunisia and the EBRD with a view to financing promising projects in Tunisia, particularly in the fields of renewable energy, new technologies, health, infrastructure and water desalination, "within the framework of a global vision that meets the aspirations of the Tunisian people", according to a statement by the Presidency.

The Tunisian President also underscored the state's commitment to providing the necessary legal and legislative guarantees and a favorable climate to attract private investment and encourage Tunisia's partners to finance more diversified projects capable of boosting growth and development.

The President underlined the State's support for entrepreneurship and business, saying that "the State attaches equal importance to supporting public services and enterprises, given their central role in the national economy and in the protection of fundamental human rights (health, transport, etc.)".

At the end of the meeting, EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said that her meeting with the Head of State had focused on the main priorities, adding she would also be meeting members of the government in the coming days to discuss financing for businesses and very concrete projects for the country.

Since starting operations in Tunisia in 2012, the EBRD has invested more than €2.1 billion in 69 projects in the country and supported more than 1,200 SMEs through technical assistance funded by the European Union.