Francophonie Summit: Kais Saied inaugurates the work of the second day

Interventions within the framework of this session will focus on the theme “women and young people: priority objectives of the Francophonie”.

The President of the Republic went to Djerba on Friday, November 18, 2022 to participate in the 18th Summit of La Francophonie.

During his visit, he declared, at the Village de la Francophonie, that “the results of the Djerba Summit will be positive”, stressing that the impact of the Economic Forum and the Village de la Francophonie will certainly be edifying.

“We are looking at the socio-economic situation of the country in the light of the choices of the Tunisian people and we will work to achieve them on the basis of our ideas and our capacities, with a view to overcoming this situation”, he said. particularly stated.

President Saïed reiterated his commitment which consists in responding to the demands of the Tunisians, stressing that “the choices to be implemented are independent and do not submit to any diktat”.

Furthermore, the Head of State emphasized the importance of “convergence on ideas and conceptions as well as on a new world based on new values ​​and approaches”.

“The choice of Djerba to host this summit comes on the basis of a set of data, including the positive impact of this event on the southern region”, he said, adding that “all regions of Tunisia are in the capacity to host events of this scale, in the best conditions and in total security”.

With regard to the situation in Zarzis, the president revealed that “the truth will be unveiled shortly”, considering that “certain parties are working to sabotage the summit”.

The Head of State visited the various pavilions of the French-speaking Village, closely examining the specificities and the richness of the French-speaking cultural heritage.

The President of the Republic spoke on Friday evening with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, on the occasion of the Summit during a meeting which was an opportunity to exchange views on several questions which concern the historical relations of cooperation and partnership established between Tunisia and the European Union in various sectors, indicates the Presidency of the Republic.

The two parties insisted on the mutual commitment to develop and diversify them, particularly in the economic, social and cultural fields.

The President of the Republic also met with the Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie, Louise Mushikiwabo.

The Head of State noted that Tunisia succeeded in organizing the Summit in compliance with its commitments and despite the organizational difficulties. He took this opportunity to thank the Secretary General of the OIF for her cooperation in all stages of the organization of this event.

For her part, the OIF Secretary General thanked Tunisia for its determination to properly organize this Summit at all levels.

He also met with his Burundian counterpart Evariste Ndayishimiye and welcomed the solidity of the fraternal relations linking the two countries, emphasizing the need to speed up the holding of the joint commission and to promote mechanisms for cooperation and partnership between the two countries in a bilateral and multilateral framework.

For his part, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, declared, this Saturday, November 19, 2022, in Djerba that La Francophonie must carry out a project to “reconquer the French language”.

Meeting young ambassadors of La Francophonie, he underlined that the real challenge of La Francophonie today is to carry out a project of reconquest, even of resistance.

The French Head of State reported a decline in the use of the French language despite demographic development in Africa, which has led to a 7% increase in the number of people with French in common. “The people of the Maghreb speak less French than 20 or 30 years ago”, he regretted.

Emmanuel Macron explained that political factors which he described as “chances, bites and wounds of History” and others related to the difficulties of learning French are at the origin of this decline.

He also mentioned, in this sense, the rise of anti-colonialist movements and the migration to the English language which, according to his remarks, remains more accessible than the language of Molière, recommending to bet on education, culture and sport, as “formidable” levers for the Francophonie.

He stressed the need to strengthen the French educational network all over the world, as is the case in Tunisia, calling for betting on translation as well as the distribution of books at very low prices.