At the invitation of Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Minister of Cultural Affairs of Tunisia, Audrey Azoulay, Minister of Culture and Communication, visited Tunis as part of the first edition of the intercultural dialogue 5 + 5 Culture.

This meeting of Ministers of Culture brings together the countries of the western Mediterranean: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal for the North shore, Malta, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya for the South shore.

In the field of artistic exchanges, the Minister announced the launching of a mission to review and make proposals on exchanges between France and the South of the Mediterranean , carried out by the General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs, with the support of Bernard Foccroule, which has long been involved in trade between the two shores of the Mediterranean. It will make it possible to establish an inventory of the actions and networks existing today and to identify the priority axes of development. The mission will deliver its findings by the end of March.

This visit was an opportunity to strengthen the partnership between France and Tunisia through the signing of several agreements :

- The twinning contract between the two Ministries of Culture to accompany Tunisia in its reform process . The signing ceremony was held with Mohamed ZINE EL ABIDINE, Minister of Cultural Affairs and Patrice BERGAMINI, European Union Ambassador to Tunisia. The Minister welcomed the fact that France had been selected for the implementation of this project financed by the European Union.

- The creation of a Bilateral Selective Aid Fund for the co-production of Franco-Tunisian cinematographic works : implemented jointly by the French National Center for Cinematography and Animated Images and the National Center for Cinema and Animation, Tunisian image, this three-year convention will encourage cinematographic co-production between France and Tunisia. The fund, with more than € 400,000 in 2017, is expected to help between five and six feature films each year.

This trip provided an opportunity for the Minister to welcome the quality and richness of Franco-Tunisian cultural cooperation and to visit the Medina of Tunis, the permanent collections of the Bardo Museum and the exhibition "Shared Holy Places" In partnership with the Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean (MuCEM). The minister had rich exchanges with the cultural circles in Tunis, booksellers, artists, filmmakers, publishers and associations.

http://www.culturecommunication.gouv.fr/Presse/Communiques-de-presse/Deplacement-a-Tunis