Tunisia, Italy deepen defense ties with focus on development and regional stability

Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, General Carmine Masiello, paid a visit to Tunis Wednesday for talks with Tunisia’s Defense Minister, Khaled Sehili, on ways of expanding cooperation in key sectors such as joint military training, coordinated exercises, hydrographic surveys, medical support, and socio-economic development.

The two officials expressed shared commitment to regional peacebuilding, underpinned by a legacy of diplomatic goodwill and operational synergy. Sehili commended Italy’s continued support for infrastructural and development efforts, particularly in Tunisia’s marginalized desert zones, and called for a robust rollout of existing bilateral agreements to meet the region’s evolving security and development needs.

General Masiello, for his part, reaffirmed Italy’s strategic interest in Tunisia as a partner of priority. Applauding the strength of military cooperation thus far, he underscored that the shared pursuit of capacity building and tactical interoperability would not only bolster defense preparedness but also contribute to the socio-political resilience of both nations. The meeting, according to observers, reflects a growing momentum toward integrated regional defense diplomacy.

Sehili stressed the urgency of leveraging shared interests to consolidate security and stability across the Mediterranean corridor.