The Italian government says it will give $13m (£9.8m) to Tunisia, to help the country strengthen its maritime borders and stop hundreds of migrants crossing the Mediterranean in small boats.
During a visit to Tunis, Italy’s foreign minister, Luigi Di Maio, said there was no more room in his country for people who arrived illegally.
The Italian government has already offered to train Tunisian land and sea forces to halt the departure of asylum seekers.
Italy has been struggling to deal with daily arrivals of hundreds of migrants to its southern shores, a task complicated by the ongoing coronavirus crisis.