Noureddine Arbaoui, a political relations official and a member of the Ennahda movement’s executive bureau — the highest regulatory authority in the Tunisian Islamic party — asserted that the shaky security situation in Tunisia is the main cause behind the slowdown in economic growth, which they have improved in certain respects. Moreover, he pointed out that Ennahda achieved a growth rate of 5% last year.

Arbaoui, who is one of the most prominent leaders of Ennahda, denied during an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor at the Al-Mashtal Hotel in Tunis that Tunisia is a stronghold for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) for several political, military and security-related reasons, especially given the country’s long border with Libya, Algeria, Mali and the Sahara.

Here is the complete interview:

Al-Monitor:  The security issue is a source of growing anxiety in Tunisia, with the rise of armed Salafists and Ansar al-Sharia, and Ennahda has been accused of allowing them to amass in the country. However, new reports indicate that you are working hard to contain this spread of Salafism. Can it be said that Ennahda made a mistake when it permitted Salafist activity to expand unconditionally?