TUNIS, Apr. 17 (Xinhua) - Tunisian President Kais Saied met on Wednesday with visiting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss the issue of illegal immigration and economic cooperation.

During their meeting, Saied reiterated Tunisia's refusal to be a destination or transit point for illegal immigrants, calling for a joint approach to addressing the problem.

For her part, the Italian prime minister thanked Tunisia's efforts in fighting human trafficking and stressed the need for cooperation to address the matter.

"We are responsible for strengthening cooperation in this direction and international organizations should be more involved, particularly in matters of repatriation," Meloni added.

The two sides also signed three agreements after the meeting, in which Italy agreed to provide support for Tunisia's energy projects, its small and medium-sized businesses as well as an agreement on higher education and scientific research cooperation.

Meloni's visit to Tunisia is the fourth in less than a year and the first following the announcement of Italy's Mattei plan, which aimed at boosting development in Africa, hoping it will help spark economic growth that will curb irregular immigration to Europe.

"The objective of the Italian government is to make Tunisia the guardian of its borders, particularly in operations to intercept boats in territorial waters and their transfer to Tunisia," Romdhane Ben Amor who is in charge of information at the Tunisian Forum of Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) told Xinhua.

The Tunisian authorities have intercepted at least 12,764 migrants in the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2024, most of whom were from sub-Saharan African countries.

Located in the central Mediterranean, Tunisia is one of the main points of access to Europe used by undocumented immigrants.

Despite the stringent measures implemented by Tunisian authorities, the number of undocumented immigrants attempting to reach Italy from the Tunisian coast continues to rise.

Photo from Xinhua