Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Saturday said in Jakarta Tunisia expressed its constant readiness to contribute to promoting the relations of cooperation and partnership between Asia and Africa in all fields. The relations should be on the basis of mutual respect, entente and solidarity, and as part of a comprehensive common development approach offering prosperity and well-being for all African and Asian peoples. Speaking at the on-going Asian-African Summit, the Tunisian president said the Bandung Conference in 1955 brought together, for the first time, states and national liberation movements from Asia and Africa. "Today, 50 years after that historic event, we appreciate the holding of this summit."

"We also endorse the theme chosen for this Summit, which aims to establish an Afro-Asian strategic partnership based on solid grounds," he said. The partnership "confirms our common determination to strengthen solidarity and cooperation among our states, to meet challenges in order to reinforce the foundations of security, stability and development in our two continents and all over the world," he said.

"We are called upon to further explore real opportunities to establish a solidarity-based partnership among the countries of our two continents, on the basis of the interdependence of interests and the exchange of benefits, and proceeding from the civilizational and cultural bonds united our peoples as well as from our countries' contributions to enriching human civilization," he said.

Source: Xinhua