Tunis — Tunis, October 16, 2008- President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali received on Thursday a message of friendship and consideration from the Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, which was handed to him by Mr Charles Zacharie Bowao, the Congolese Minister at the presidency in charge of cooperation humanitarian work and solidarity.

Following the meeting, the Congolese Minister said he was honored to have met the Head of state indicating that the message is part of the strengthening of the relations of friendship and fraternity between the two countries and peoples, at the time when the first session of the Tunisian -Congolese great joint cooperation commission is taking place in Tunis.

He also noted that the issues examined during the joint cooperation commission were evoked at the meeting he had with President Ben Ali who expressed his satisfaction at the work carried out by the commission, which testified to the level of bilateral cooperation in all sectors.

The Congolese Minister stressed in this respect that on the political level, Tunisian -Congolese relations are excellent, noting that several initiatives had been taken in the past on the economic level , insofar as training is concerned and in several other areas. He said that the meeting of the great joint commission was an opportunity to open up interesting perspectives of cooperation between both countries, so as to concretize them into a model strategic partnership and south -south cooperation.

President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali entrusted the Congolese president with conveying his feelings of friendship to President Denis Sassou Nguesso, inviting him to come to Tunisia.

The audience took place in the presence of the Minister of State, special advisor to the President of the Republic and official spokesman of the Presidency of the Republic and Congo's Ambassador in Tunis.