Tunisian Prime Minister Chahed Meets Senior US Officials in Washington

Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed met with US Defense Secretary James Mattis and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during a visit to the US capital, the agencies said in separate statements.

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Sputnik) — Earlier, Chahed met Mattis at the Defense Department, according to a department tweet also on Monday.

"Secretary [Mnuchin] had a productive bilateral meeting today with Tunisian Prime Minister [Chahed]," the Treasury Department said in a post on Instagram on Monday.

Tunisian press agency Tunis Afrique Presse reported Chahed will also meet Vice President Mike Pence, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, members of Congress and leaders of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund during the three-day visit to Washington, DC.

Chahed's trip comes as the Trump administration's proposed 2018 fiscal year budget seeks to cut military and economic aid to Tunisia.

The prime minister's office said his visit was intended to revive consultations and further the US-Tunisia cooperative relationship.