ALGIERS – Thursday, 19 October 2023 (APS) – Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad Ahmed Attaf and his Danish counterpart, the spokesman of the Nordic countries, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, affirmed Wednesday that the 20th Nordic-African Foreign Ministers Meeting hosted by Algeria since Tuesday, “is a big success” and another milestone in the process of the strengthening of relations between the two sides.
Speaking in a press conference held jointly, at the end of the works of the session, Attaf and Rasmussen said that the latter “was a big success and is another milestone in the process ailed to strengthen the relations between the African and Nordic countries.”
Underlining that the works were marked by a “consensual and very friendly” atmosphere and a large participation of the African and Nordic countries, Attaf underlined that the main message that consultation meeting wanted to convey is that of the importance of “the promotion of dialogue and partnership, in the context of the exceptional situation prevailing at the national and regional levels.”
For Attaf, it is very important that this message emanates from “a series of States known for their commitment to the principles and values enshrined in the UN Charter, as well as States bound by rooted and historical solidarity relations, dating back to the fight against colonialism and racial segregation in our African continent.”
According to the minister, the fruitful debates and consultations, that lasted two days, allowed confirming the joint orientation of Africa and the Nordic countries towards “the intensification of cooperation and coordination, in order to contribute to addressing the different political and security challenges at the regional and international levels, and towards an action to take up the development challenges in the African continent and further efforts, in order to strengthen the role of the multilateral diplomatic action under the aegis of the United Nations.”
The discussions focused, said the source, on “the tense international relations in these circumstances and the effects of this situation on our African continent which is also experiencing an accelerated deterioration in the security situation following the multiple tensions and crises, notably in the Sahel-Sahara region.”
The minister provided the participants with an overview of the efforts of Algeria and the initiatives of the President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune “to appease tensions and promote peaceful solutions to the crises in Niger and Mali, in addition to the strengthening of the correlation between the development and the security by combining efforts for the organization of an international conference on the development in the Sahel.”
He said that “these initiatives and efforts were welcomed and supported by all the brothers and friends that took part in this session’s works.”