Hedi Ben Abbes

Hedi Ben Abbes

Hedi Ben Abbes was born on August 5^th 1961, in Tboursek, which is situated in the northwest governorate of Beja. Ben Abbes is a spokesperson of the Congress for the Republic party (CPR) and he is currently nominated to serve as Secretary of State for the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Americas and Asian division.

Ben Abbes joined CPR in 2001 as a cofounder in France. From 2000 to 2003, he served as an editor of political articles published in a French magazine titled “L’Audace.” After the fall of Ben Ali’s dictatorship, he established the first CPR branch in northeast Tunisia, in his homeland of Tboursek in April 2011.

Ben Abbes is well known for his academic contributions and diplomas in different parts of the world. He was an instructor at the University of Toronto, Canada from 1990 to 1992, and a lecturer at the University of Franche-Comté in France from 1993 to 2011. In June 1987, Ben Abbes received a doctorate in English literature from the University of Nice, France and a master’s degree in English. Since then, he joined the National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS ) in France as a research allocator. In June 2002, he received a second master’s degree in political science and law from the Bourgogne University in Dijon, France.

Ben Abbes is the author of three academic works in which he demonstrates the illegal character of war and its genocidal side, with a special focus on the Gulf War. These studies were maintained in the context of human rights and the protection of civilians. Ben Abbes also conducted a study on affirmative action demonstrating the legal gaps in the policy.

From 2008 to 2011, he was the general manager of an international transport and transit company.

Ben Abbes believes that Tunisian foreign policy must be open to engagement with the international community. “Tunisia indeed needs foreigners, even those from western countries, for investment in the country to create new jobs and provide prosperity in the country. Since Tunisia is in a circumference of globalization, it must first consolidate its internal and the external policies of state and then create close relations with every part of the world such as the United States, Europe, the Arab world, as well as subsaharan Africa.”

He pointed out that rising industrial countries, such China and Brazil, are considered promising partners in Tunisian import-export commerce. He stated: “Our policy is actually one of openness toward the world, which explains explains the new government’s decision to create not one secretary of state position, but three.”

Ben Abbes added: “Our primary concern today is bringing investment to Tunisia, and simulating the economy to fight unemployment among Tunisian youth, who hold huge promises for the country’s future.”