RABAT, April 9. /TASS/. The European Union, which has delayed providing financial assistance to Tunisia, has been encouraging the republic to move toward BRICS, spokesman for the July 25 Movement Mahmoud Ben Mabrouk said, according to Mosaique FM.

According to him, "Tunisia will not persevere with its efforts to conclude an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the provision of financial aid to the republic," the radio reported on Saturday.

"Tunisia opened up several opportunities to the EU to give the country economic support. But the Europeans were slow, which pushed Tunisia to moving toward the BRICS group for funding and investments," Mabrouk said. This conclusion is not a result of political analysis, but is based on information about negotiations and communication, he explained. Mabrouk refused to elaborate further.

On April 6, Tunisian President Kais Saied said that under no circumstances would his country "hear diktats" from abroad. The head of state referred to the terms of a stalled $1.9 billion IMF loan.