Society for Policy Studies in collaboration with India Habitat Centre held a Round Table Discussion on Tunisia : Success of Arab Spring and its Democratic Dividend with H. E. Tarek Azouz, Ambassador of Tunisia to India
Venue: India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
Speaker: H. E. Ambassador Tarek Azouz
Ambassador Tarek Azouz was born in 1957. In 1982, he joined the Tunisian Foreign Services, where he served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs in charge successively of the French, German, British and Danish Desks. In 1993, he was appointed head of American affairs department and advisor to the Minister. From 2001 to 2005, he served as DCM of Tunisian Embassy in Washington. From 2006, he served as Deputy-Director at the American and Asian Affairs Department in charge of relations with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.
From November 2011, he serves as Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to India. He serves as Non Resident Ambassador to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Ambassador Azouz holds post-graduate degree in English and German languages from the University of Tunis.
Summary of the Round Table:
Success of the Arab Spring and its Democratic Dividend
Ambassador Azouz began his address by discussing the specificities of Tunisia vis a vis the Arab Spring. He noted that the country has a rich civilizational history and is geographically at the heart of the Mediterranean region. Historically home to the Berber population, it has with time assimilated people from different parts of the region.
Tunisia and the Arab Spring
Ambassador Azouz characterized the Jasmine revolution as a “revolution of dignity and freedom”. He highlighted three reasons that led Tunisia to become the epicenter of the movement. The impetus of the uprising was the dissatisfaction of the population at large with respect to the ruling political regime. The second reason was the spike in unemployment among young graduates. The third was the increasing disparity between the coastline and the interior regions of the country. Since the movement was indigenous without foreign intervention, it quickly gained credibility and legitimacy. The rise of the new media served to fuel the revolution since the country had one of the best internet penetration rates in the region.
The first post revolution government did not engage with Nidaa Tounes, a secularist political party for fear that they might be seen as loyalists of the previous political regime. However, with time it was felt that there was a need to engage with them. The military played a binding role during and after the revolution and retained the civilian spirit of the movement. It was crucial to the success of the revolution in Tunisia.
Ambassador Azouz also noted the new constitution codified women’s equal participation and retained the civil state despite insistence from the movement that Islam be privileged.
Religion
Although there is no religion codified in the constitution, Islam is recognized as the national religion. This was a compromise to satisfy different sections of the society. While the majority of Tunisians are Sunni Muslims, theijtihad interpretation of Islam is widely applied. The Salafi threat to the country has been unable to crack the country’s strong army and police. Its influence in Universities has also waned. There is political will to fight terrorism.
The Neutral mosque program was introduced in response to the radical activities that were being conducted in the facade of religion. It is under the Ministry of Religious Affairs that Imams are appointed.
On ISIS, he acknowledged the fact that many recruits were from Tunisia. The main motivation for young recruits continues to be money while one cannot deny that there is an ideological angle involved.
Foreign Policy
Ambassador Azouz pointed out that the Tunisia is fundamentally a non interfering state. It engages in dialogue to resolve conflicts and any impending issues.
India – Tunisia Ties
The Ambassador noted that Tunisia was India’s fifth largest supplier of fertilizers, most notable of those being phosphoric acid. He also pointed out that there has been an increase of trade in Olive Oil and dates. He noted that India’s focus on ties with the region needs to extend beyond Egypt and highlighted tourism as a prime focus area to improve cooperation. He was optimistic that tourism could fuel the relationship to the next level.