Tunisia marks 60th National Day

By Rachel Lee

Tunisian Ambassador to Korea Mohamed Ali Nafti hosted a reception to mark his country’s 60th National Day, at the Lotte Hotel Seoul on March 21.

Foreign envoys and local representatives, including Gender Equality and Family Minister Kang Eun-hee, attended.

“On March 20, 1956, our country retrieved its freedom and sovereignty and started setting up the foundation of its modern state after choosing the republic as a political regime,” the ambassador said. “Notwithstanding a significant number of very valuable accomplishments in diverse fields, mainly women empowerment ― where Tunisia has been a pioneer in the Arab and Muslim world ― free education and birth control, the country lived through decades of a lack of political freedom, liberty of expression and good governance.”

The minister said: “Moreover, this year marks not only the 60th anniversary of Tunisia’s independence, but also the 60th anniversary of the enactment of the Code of Personal Status, which instituted gender equality. The code is significant in that it laid the foundations for sustainable national development by moving away from patriarchal traditions and realizing gender equality.”

The ambassador highlighted a special moment for his country ― winning the Nobel Peace Prize for 2015.

“This prestigious prize will always be a matter of national pride for us and a source of motivation to keep preserving our young democracy and raise the big challenges our country is facing, especially at a security level, to consolidate its position in the concert of nations,” the ambassador said.

The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet received the award last October for a “decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011,” the Nobel Prize jury said.

The quartet was formed in the summer of 2013, when the country’s move toward democracy was in danger of collapsing because of political assassinations and widespread social unrest.

Nafti said: “We remain absolutely aware that we should primarily rely on our national unity to bolster our young democracy against all threats, but we also welcome any political and official support coming from international organizations, as well as brotherly and friendly countries ― among them Korea, through its government, National Assembly and civil society.

“As we are convinced that any sustainable relations between countries and nations should focus on people-to-people exchanges, the cultural and educational fields remain a core component of our efforts to further reinforce the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Tunisia and the Republic of Korea.”