Foreign Minister Steinmeier condemns attacks on the Tunisian Libyan border

Speaking on the fringes of his visit to the United Arab Emirates on 7 March, Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier issued the following statement on the attacks on the Tunisian‑Libyan border by armed groups:

We condemn the criminal attack on the Tunisian city of Ben Guerdane in the strongest possible terms. The attempt to destabilise Tunisia's democracy through murder and violence must not be allowed to succeed. Germany is actively supporting Tunisia along its path, also and particularly in the fight against the terrorist threat. Today's attack shows how right and necessary it is for us to focus our support on strengthening Tunisia's border security. However, it also shows how urgently the entire region needs us to succeed in stabilising Libya so that ISIS can no longer use it as a safe haven. The priority now must be to endorse the Libyan government of national unity and to work on implementing the peace agreement. We are doing everything in our power to support the efforts of UN Special Representative Martin Kobler to remove all remaining obstacles.