The authoritarian regime in Tunis is at the heart of Rome s grand plans for its African axis, Migration and energy deals topped the agenda of Italy s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni s flying visit to Tunisia – her fourth in a year – on 17 April. Flanked by a ministerial delegation, she extolled the virtues of the two countries latest agreements – completely new, among equals and based on mutual interest – at a press conference to which journalists were not invited. After a few hours in the Tunisian capital, she flew to Brussels for a meeting of the European Council.