Jeune Afrique reports that Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed was supposed to visit Riyadh on October 20th, but his planned trip was canceled. This is concurrent with the crisis Tunisia is going through as it grapples with sky-high food prices and unprecedented shortages.
Having reached a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue package amounting to 1.9 billion USD in October, Tunisia would also qualify for bilateral aid. The Central Bank Governor revealed previously to Reuters that talks with Saudi Arabia were ongoing regarding bilateral financing.
According to Jeune Afrique, Tunisia’s ambassador in Riyadh would have been unable to provide information on Tunisia’s 2023 state budget and the supplementary finance bill 2022 upon request from Saudi Arabia. The latter concluded that Tunisia was unfit to receive financial assistance and thus canceled Kaïs Saïed’s meeting in the Saudi capital.
The same source adds that Tunisia’s authorities were hoping to reignite talks with Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the Algiers summit, but all hopes were crushed after it was announced that MBS will not be attending the Arab summit.
Going further than Tunisia’s financial situation, Saudi Arabia is also wary of the North African country’s stance on Iran, says a diplomat interviewed by Jeune Afrique. This led the Saudi Kingdom to ask for clarifications from Tunisia, but none were ever given.