Egypt urges Tunisians to ‘avoid escalation’

By Diana Shalhub

ISTANBUL (AA) – Egypt on Sunday called upon Tunisians to avoid escalation and violence amid tension after the country’s president dismissed the government and suspended parliament.

Last week, Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, froze the parliament, and assumed executive authority with the assistance of a new prime minister.

The Tunisian president insists that his exceptional measures are meant to "save" the country while his critics accuse him of orchestrating a coup.

"Egypt is closely following the development of events in Tunisia and expresses its full solidarity with the brotherly Tunisian people and their legitimate aspirations,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It underlined “the necessity for avoiding escalation and refraining from violence against state institutions to preserve the gains and capabilities of the brotherly Tunisian people”.

The statement voiced Egypt’s hope that Tunisians will overcome their challenges and "move forward towards building a better future."

Egypt "trusts in the wisdom and capacity of the Tunisian Presidency to cruise the country out of this crisis at the earliest possible time”.

Tunisia is seen as the only country that succeeded in carrying out a democratic transition among a group of Arab countries that witnessed popular revolutions that toppled their ruling regimes, including Egypt, Libya, and Yemen.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara