Anger at West mounts as Lavrov tours North Africa

Public sentiment towards the US has plummeted in Tunisia in the wake of the war in Gaza according to a poll conducted by Arab Barometer. It found that the percentage of Tunisians holding a positive view of the US more than halved since October. The findings come as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with the Tunisian Foreign Minister and President in the capital Tunis, as part of his tour of North Africa.

Lavrov started his tour with a visit to Marrakech to attend the Arab-Russian Cooperation forum. His trip is part of a sustained effort by Russia to deepen ties across Africa and Middle East and advance its narrative of the war in Ukraine and Gaza. High ranking officials from Russia and North African countries have exchanged visits as Moscow has sought new trade agreements and joint statements on topics like Ukraine. Russia has also been trying to lessen the influence of the West - and the U.S. in particular - across the region.

After leaving Marrakech, Lavrov flew to Tunis where he met with Tunisian President Kais Saied as well as the country’s foreign minister. In September the two countries sign a new grain deal. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Tunisia used to receive around half of its grain imports from Ukraine.