MOSCOW, January 15 /TASS/. Tunisia wants to develop ties with Russia. Tunisia’s new Foreign Minister Hmais Zhinaui, who was Tunisian ambassador to Russia before 2011, is paying great attention to it, Tunisia’s Ambassador to Russia Ali Goutali said on Friday.

A new Tunisian government of Prime Minister Habib Essid was sworn in on January 12.

"A new foreign minister was appointed. He was Tunisia’s ambassador to Russia who did a lot for strengthening Tunisia’s relations with Russia. We seek to continue a policy of developing ties with Russia, including the economic ones. The foreign minister is doing a lot to develop bilateral relations," the Tunisian ambassador said.

According to him, the people of Tunisia are determined to make an (economic) recovery. "Of course, we rely on foreign aid and the aid of international organizations and friendly countries like Russia, which has always supported us to a great extent. On behalf of Tunisia, I would like to thank Russia for support in gave to us in the time of trouble," Ali Goutali said.

The ambassador said that a number of events would strengthen the Tunisian-Russian cooperation even further this year. "A joint inter-governmental commission will sign a number of vital documents at a meeting to take place in Moscow late in March and early in April," the Tunisian diplomat stressed.

Tunisia welcomes the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin to form a broad counter-terrorism front, Goutali went on to say.

"The Russian president has made this proposal, and we highly appreciate the efforts, which Russia is making to fight terrorism. We also welcome his (Putin’s) initiative to unite the efforts of all countries of the world for fighting this evil," the Tunisian diplomat said.