Tunisian President Kais Saied (R) assigns the current interior minister Hichem Mechichi to form a new government, in Tunis, Tunisia, July 25, 2020. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)

Tunisian President Kais Saied and visiting Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio on Tuesday urged efforts to tackle the root causes of illegal immigration and combat human trafficking on both sides of the Mediterranean.

Saied stressed the importance of developing new common concepts to encourage regular immigration through mechanisms that protect immigrants' rights.

The president also admitted that conventional strategies for dealing with illegal immigration have proven their limits, according to a statement released by the Tunisian Presidency.

There has been a considerable increase in migrants arriving on Italian soil, mainly landing on the tiny island of Lampedusa, where the reception facility is permanently overbooked.

The Tunisian president also expressed willingness to strengthen the friendly ties with Italy and expand promising opportunities for bilateral cooperation in a variety of fields based on mutual respect and shared interests, said the statement.

"Italy recognizes and supports the ambitious reform path established by the Tunisian president," Di Maio was quoted as saying.

Italy has worked with its partners as well as the International Monetary Fund in order to emphasize the need to assist Tunisia in overcoming the economic scenario it is experiencing, which has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Di Maio said. 

Di Maio added that his meetings were very fruitful, strengthening a dialogue with Tunisia that had "never been interrupted."

Xinhua