“To stop the flood of illegal immigrants, our two countries set up a programme of cooperation focusing mainly on support for voluntary return [of asylum seekers] and on professional training for young Tunisians in their own country,” he said. “According to our statistics, more than 1,600 Tunisian asylum seekers have returned home thanks to this support.”
Asked how many people had benefited from the training programme, Jhinaoui said “frankly not many for the moment” but “we hope to have about 50 by the end of the year”.
The two migration accords are seen as a model by Switzerland. They are part of an overall cooperation strategy signed with Tunisia in 2012 and renewed until 2020 during a visit to Tunisia by Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga last October.
The cooperation deal, launched in the wake of the Arab Spring, is built on three focus areas: democratic development, economic growth, and migration.
“Switzerland was the first country to support the democratic process when we were just starting to set up the new democratic institutions in 2013-2014,” Jhinaoui said.
Asked when funds linked to former Tunisian dictator Ben Ali which had been frozen in Switzerland would be returned, Jhinaoui recalled that not only did Switzerland freeze the funds as early as 2011 but has already returned CHF250,000 ($254,000) to Tunisia.
“Procedures are under way to free the remaining CHF60 million still blocked as part of criminal procedures in Switzerland to determine if their source is legal or not. Switzerland has extended the time limit until January 19, and in the meantime Tunisian jurists are receiving training from Swiss experts as part of judicial cooperation.”
Should Switzerland take measures to support its struggling industries?
Industrial policies are back in fashion, not only in the United States but also in the EU. Should Switzerland, where various industries are struggling, draw inspiration from such policies?
Swiss forests better equipped against storms 25 years after Lothar
This content was published on
Twenty-five years ago, Hurricane Lothar toppled trees like dominoes in Switzerland. Forests today are better prepared to cope with such an exceptional event, say experts.
This content was published on
The Locarno Film Festival is considering moving from the beginning of August to the second half of July for its 80th edition in 2027.
Council of Europe head Alain Berset visits Georgia
This content was published on
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, is visiting Georgia, which has been rocked by a political crisis, from Wednesday.
Swiss politician who shot at Jesus faces criminal proceedings
This content was published on
The Zurich public prosecutor's office has opened criminal proceedings against politician Sanija Ameti. It is investigating whether she disrupted freedom of religion and worship.
Switzerland must be able to control immigration, says head of business federation
This content was published on
Switzerland must be able to control immigration itself if it "exceeds the tolerable limits", says Christoph Mäder, president of Economiesuisse, the Swiss Business Federation.
This content was published on
The film Reinas by Klaudia Reynicke, a Swiss-Peruvian-Spanish co-production, has missed out on an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film.
Raiffeisen Switzerland CEO steps down unexpectedly
This content was published on
Raiffeisen Switzerland CEO Heinz Huber is stepping down at the end of the year. This means that Switzerland's second-largest banking group after UBS is looking for a new CEO.
Artificial intelligence has yet to affect election results
This content was published on
Artificial intelligence has not yet had a decisive influence on election results, according to Swiss researchers who analysed this year's elections in almost 100 countries.
Tunisia continues along the rocky path of democratic progress
This content was published on
Switzerland's ambassador to Tunisia sees important progress on human rights, democracy and the security situation in the North African country.
Swiss justice minister renews Tunisian cooperation deal
This content was published on
Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga officially extended on Tuesday a cooperation agreement with the North African state.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.