Tunisia’s Secretary of State Abdallah Triki discussed with Prime Minister Yang May 9.
Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang yesterday, May 9, 2012 received on behalf of the Head of State, Paul Biya, the Tunisian Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of Maghreb, Arab and African Affairs, Abdallah Triki at the end of the ninth session of the Cameroon-Tunisia Joint Commission and fourth Business Forum.
Before the audience in the evening, the Head of Government earlier in the day, had discussions with the same Tunisian official who said his country wants to use the excellent relations with Cameroon to bring together Maghreb and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) countries to engage in multidimensional cooperation. Cameroon he said, is Tunisia’s first trade partner in Central and West Africa and Tunisia on its part of Cameroon’s leading partner in North Africa.
Abdallah Triki expressed satisfaction at cooperation between Cameroon and Tunisia. The Yaounde Joint Commission session ended with the signing of seven new agreements to boost bilateral cooperation. There were agreements on technical and health cooperation, health evacuations and the sending of Tunisian medical technical team to the Sangmelima Reference Hospital. They also signed a protocol agreements on the exchange of television programmes between the Cameroon Radio Television, CRTV and the Tunisian National Television, TNT, standardisation and promotion of quality, information and training between the National Institute for the Standardisation of Industrial Property, INNORPI and the Norms and Quality Agency, ANOR and finally a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the exchange of friendly visits by youths of both countries.
Cameroon and Tunisia, the Secretary of State said, have set a target to reach 100 million US Dollars (about FCFA 50 billion) in trade exchanges in 2012, stating figure will increase in the coming years. This will be made possible thanks to multidimensional trade agreements, Cameroon and Tunisia plan to sign in the coming months. The agreements, he intimated will constitute a major cornerstone in Cameroon –Tunisian cooperation and by extension between Maghreb and CEMAC countries.
He disclosed the African Union’s decision to open up the continent’s airspace by 2017, stating that Tunisia was preparing to sign air transport agreements with Cameroon. In this case, he announced imminent direct flights from Tunisia’s capital city, Tunis to that of Cameroon, Yaounde with plans to be extended to Douala. Abdallah Triki said during his stay in Cameroon, officials of the two countries resolved issues such as resident papers for students and equivalents of certificates.
