ISTANBUL

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio voiced concern Wednesday over the situation in Tunisia during a phone call with his Tunisian counterpart Othman Jerandi.

“Concern for the situation in the country, call for respect of the Constitution and the rule of law,” the Italian Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter.

“Reaffirmed [Italian] & [EU] commitment for political and economic stability of [Tunisia] and support in fighting the [coronavirus] pandemic,” the ministry added.

The phone call came days after Tunisian President Kais Saied took actions that many political parties in the country say amounted to a coup.

On Sunday, Saied dismissed the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, froze parliament and assumed executive authority with the assistance of a new prime minister.

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 which toppled their ruling regimes, including Egypt, Libya and Yemen.