French remarks linking Tunisia to terror cause outrage

The French ambassador to Tunisia has sparked controversy and outrage on social media by making remarks that Tunis “is a main supplier of terrorists”, Quds Press reported on Friday.

The newly appointed French ambassador, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, made the comments to the French radio station RTL on late last month, adding that his top priority was to protect French nationals as he believed that they were a target for terrorism in the North African country.

D’Arvor’s remarks went viral on social media as Tunisians questioned the attitude of the French ambassador inside their country. While some described the remarks as comical, others said that the French diplomat’s remarks described exactly how France deals with Tunisia, suggesting that the former degrades the latter.

Tunisian officials described the remarks as a “diplomatic slip”, while the former Tunisian Ambassador to Lebanon Sameer Abdullah said: “The abusive remarks of the French ambassador are unacceptable and no [self-respecting] countries would accept them.”

In an attempt to calm the situation, the French embassy issued a statement hailing Franco-Tunisian relations and reaffirming the French commitment to supporting Tunisia’s development as a democracy by fostering economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

The French embassy further described Franco-Tunisian relations as “exceptional”, positing that France is one of Tunisia’s leading partners.

Tunisia was subjected to French colonialism in the 19th century, and only attained independence in 1956. Comments made by French officials and diplomats that are critical of Tunisia often cause controversy due to France’s colonial history and its impact upon the Tunisian people.