Qatar and Turkey undermine Tunisian decision-making

Mouaz Mohamed

A wide debate has surfaced in Tunisia due to the attempt by the Brotherhood-affiliated Ennahda Movement to pass two commercial agreements with Qatar and Turkey in light of questions about their economic feasibility and the extent to which the people benefit from them, while also questioning their declared goals and terms.

Abir Moussi, head of the Free Destourian Party, revealed two agreements that groups Tunisia with Qatar and Turkey, confirming that Ennahda head Rached Ghannouchi seeks to pass them through parliament.

Moussi explained in a press conference at the Tunisian parliament on Tuesday, April 28, that the request to consider the two agreements was speeded up because of the “suspicious” relationship between Ennahda and Qatar and Turkey.

Tunisian media published the terms of the two agreements, explaining that the first, which was signed in December 2017, is to create a branch of the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) in the country, which has significant power and cannot be controlled by the Tunisian state.

The terms of the agreement stipulate that Tunisia cannot directly or indirectly suspend projects in which the Qatar Fund participates, which means that if mistakes, abuses or crimes are committed in one of the Fund’s projects, or if it is involved in projects contrary to the development program of Tunisia, then the state has no right to interfere in this, and if it tries to interfere, then the fund is entitled to sue and demand compensation.

The fund is also allowed to employ foreign employees and consultants and grant work licenses, but the Tunisian state is not allowed to monitor them.

As for the second agreement with Ankara, it relates to the “Law of Encouragement and Mutual Protection of Investments”, which gives Turks the right to reside in Tunisia and enjoy fiscal and financial privileges under the cover of investment, which negatively affects small and medium-sized enterprises and companies and could lead to economic collapse.

Agreements’ status in parliament

The Tunisian parliament is divided over these agreements. Ennahda and the Islamist Dignity Coalition factions will definitely vote in favor of the agreements by virtue of their loyalty to Qatar and Turkey, while the Free Destourian Party announced its appeal to the Administrative Court to challenge the agreements. Other blocs have not made their opinions known yet, including the Democratic Current, People’s Movement, Tahya Tounes (Long Live Tunisia), National Bloc, and Future Tunisia Party.

For his part, Tahya Tounes MP Mabrouk Karsheed warned against the danger of ratifying the trade agreement with Turkey, calling on parliamentarians to reject it. He explained in a video on Facebook that the agreement allows Turkish institutions and individuals to own real estate and agricultural land in the country, stressing that “the protection of agricultural lands relates to national sovereignty.”

Karsheed pointed out that the agreement signed between Tunisia and Ankara in 2016 permits unrestricted Turkish investments and gives Turkish investors the same privileges that Tunisians enjoy, such as the right to own and borrow from local banks, in addition to transferring money and profits to any foreign country.

The trade agreement with Turkey is “a kind of new colonialism”, Karsheed said, calling on Tunisian President Kais Saied to “take a clear position by virtue of his constitutional responsibilities,” stressing that Ankara seeks to “slip surreptitiously” into the country through the door of trade. “We will stand in the way of Turkey’s bid to put its hands on the assets of the Tunisian people.”

Multiple breaches

In her press conference at the Tunisian parliament, Moussi explained that the two agreements date back to 2016 and 2017, and she wondered as to why they are urgently being concluded and passed at such an exceptional time when everyone is preoccupied with the corona pandemic, adding that this in violation of the law.

She also pointed out that the presidency of the Council of Representatives and the Office of the Council have become composed of a ruling parliamentary coalition that passes the projects it wishes to pass uncontrollably, stressing that the matter has reached the point of several violations in the referral procedures.

Moussi revealed a phone call at the end of last week between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Tunisian Parliament Speaker Racheid Ghannouchi. She warned of Turkey’s plans in the region, stressing that there are suspicions about the content of the agreement.