Tunisia rejects European funds and says they fall short of a deal for migration and financial aid

abcnews.go.com:

Tunisia has announced it would reject an installment of funds sent by Europe to help the debt-ridden country patrol the Mediterranean Sea as migrant boat crossings spike to levels not seen in several years

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia on Monday announced it would reject an installment of funds sent by Europe to help the debt-ridden country patrol the Mediterranean Sea as migrant boat crossings spike to levels not seen in several years.

President Kais Saied on Monday accused the European Union of not following through on agreements made earlier this year to help Tunisia patrol its borders, curb smuggling and balance its federal budget. Though he called the disbursement “a small amount,” Saied said the decision was less about its size and more about how it “lacks respect."

“The treasures of the world are not equal to a single grain of our sovereignty in the eyes of our people,” Saied said in a statement published on TAP, the country's official news agency. “Tunisia, which accepts cooperation, does not accept anything that resembles charity or handouts.”

The rejection calls into question a broad agreement that the EU and Saied brokered in Rome in July to provide more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to Tunisia. It will likely amplify worries about the country's spiraling financial woes among credit rating agencies, lenders, Tunisian government workers and people reliant on state subsidies for food and energy.

Marcus Cornaro, the EU's ambassador to Tunisia, brushed off concerns about the agreement’s durability, noting that rather than confrontation, Saied's remarks demonstrated that both sides were eager to implement it.

Saied's statement that Europe's plan for the initial installment contradicted the agreement “speaks to