Tunisian President Kais Saied has summoned the European Union’s ambassador in the North African country to “strongly protest” the alleged breach of diplomatic protocol by the official.

The move came a day after Ambassador Giuseppe Perrone met Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) chief Noureddine Taboubi, at a time of tensions between the powerful trade union and the government over labor rights and economic reforms. Perrone hailed the UGTT for “supporting social dialogue and economic development in Tunisia” and said strengthening partnership with the organization was essential during the talks on Monday, his office said.

In a statement published early Wednesday, Saied said he called in Perrone on Tuesday “regarding the failure to comply with the rules of diplomatic conduct and dealings outside the official frameworks recognized in diplomatic customs” in his capacity as EU ambassador to Tunisia. No further details were given on the actions that prompted the complaint.

Perrone, an Italian diplomat, has served as EU envoy to Tunisia since September 2024. This is not the first time the Tunisian authorities have confronted an EU diplomat. In 2019, then Ambassador Patrice Bergamini was summoned by the Foreign Ministry to explain comments he made about entrenched economic monopolies in Tunisia in an interview with French daily Le Monde.

The EU is Tunisia’s largest financial partner, providing nearly €1.8 billion (about $2.0 billion) in funding since 2013. However, relations between Tunis and Brussels have been uneasy since 2023. Tensions have been fueled in part by a partnership agreement under which the EU pledged more than €1 billion to support Tunisia’s battered economy and curb irregular migration from the country’s coast to Europe.

The bloc later announced that it would disburse €127 million in aid to the country, with most of the funds earmarked for migration-related measures, including facilitating the deportation of migrants to their home countries.

President Saied publicly rejected the “small amount,” declaring that his government would not accept “anything that resembles charity or handouts.”

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