Italy's hardline interior minister Matteo Salvini said on Thursday he was "happy" to help keep Tunisia stable in order to stem the influx of migrants from the North African country.
"I am happy to make a contribution to stability in Tunisia because it that way immigration can be reined in," Salvini said during his first visit to the country.
Salvini said his visit was aimed at "improving existing (bilateral) accords in the areas of the economy, trade, tourism, culture and security."
"We are here to make progress, not to go backwards... Italy will work to wake up the European Union, including over Tunisia," Salvini said.
Two Italian patrol boats will be delivered to Tunisia by October and another four "in the near future," he said.
"We will supply equipment and training, everything possible and imaginable to make existing bilateral agreements work more effectively."
Salvini was due to hold talks with Tunisia's president Beji Caid Essebsi and interior minister Hichem Fourati on Thursday and hold a press conference after his meetings, the interior ministry stated.
Human traffickers are increasingly using Tunisia as a launch pad for migrants heading to Europe since a crackdown spearheaded by Libyan coast guard, and Salvini wants to speed up expulsions of Tunisian migrants from Italy - their main arrival point.
Ahead of his visit, Salvini in a statement on Wednesday described ties between Italy and Tunisia as "very good".
"Tunisia is a model of democracy for the whole of Africa and we intend to support it with determination also in the fight against terrorist threats," Salvini said.
"Fighting illegal immigration is a shared priority for Italy and Tunisia," he said.
