Tunis - President Kais Saied stated at the outset of his meeting Monday at Carthage Palace with Minister of Transport, Rachid Amri, that the current state of air transport is "absolutely unacceptable."

He pointed out that in one country, aircraft departures have recently been delayed by as much as five days. Such delays, whether occurring at Tunisian airports or abroad, are unacceptable by any standard.

"An immediate end must be put to these shortcomings, and full responsibility must be borne by those who caused them."

According to a statement from the Presidency, the Head of State stressed that Tunisia’s public enterprises and facilities will not be sold off, recalling that Tunisair once stood as a source of national pride. The deterioration of its situation is not coincidental but the result of a series of arrangements aimed at selling it off, he said.

The meeting also addressed land transport and the expected arrival date of the next batch of buses.

A first tranche of 136 buses will be received before the subsequent delivery, in order to put an end to citizens’ suffering in daily mobility within and between cities.

In this context, the President of the Republic emphasised the need to properly maintain these buses and distribute them fairly among regions based on clear criteria, and stressed the urgent need to reinforce the light metro fleet with new railcars.

On another front, the Head of State discussed the maritime transport sector, which has recently witnessed deliberate acts of sabotage unprecedented in the past, noting that no vessel should have been allowed to sail without completing all necessary technical inspections.

He further underlined that Tunisia is moving forward with rebuilding these essential public facilities after they were nearly dismantled and subjected to corruption schemes intended to justify their sale.

He affirmed that access to adequate transport is a natural human right, not merely a right enshrined in the Constitution or in international conventions.

The President of the Republic concluded by reaffirming that these facilities will be rebuilt and that citizens will receive their fair share everywhere.

As for those who spread corruption across public services, the Tunisian people have the right to hold them accountable, as they violated not only public funds but have also infringed upon their human rights, he said.

He added that Tunisia has moved from one phase to another and will continue its path, not toward a transition falsely described as democratic, but toward a transition that restrains corrupt actors and their protectors both at home and abroad.

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