ALGIERS – Wednesday, 25 May 2022 (APS) – The State visit of President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune to Italy, as from Wednesday at the invitation of his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, is of a particular importance in the strengthening of the historical friendship ties for both countries which aspire to give fresh impetus to dialogue and strategic cooperation.
The three-day visit of President Tebboune to Italy is of “particular importance in the strengthening of the historical ties and reinforcement of the bilateral relations in several fields, notably in economy, as part of a new vision of the two presidents aimed to give fresh impetus to dialogue and strategic cooperation between the two neighboring and friendly countries,” the Presidency of the Republic said in a statement.
The visit of President Tebboune to Italy, a country bound to Algeria by a friendship, cooperation and good-neighborliness agreement for more than 18years, comes to consolidate the bilateral relations in several fields, with the target to extend this partnership beyond the energy sector to include engineering industry, agriculture, tourism and higher education.
The strengthening of the close ties between the two countries has been reiterated several times by the officials of the two countries on the occasion of the bilateral visits, particularly during the last State visit paid by Italian president to Algeria in November 2021.
In this regard, President Tebboune underscored that the bilateral relations between the countries are “strong” and will be “consolidated in the very near future.”
For his part, President Mattarella dubbed “long-standing, strong and strategic” these relations, while reaffirming the two countries’ joint willingness to further strengthen them.
Following his discussions with President Tebboune, Mattarella underlined also a convergence of views between the two countries on all issues of common interest, expressing his willingness to continue the political dialogue on the regional and international issues, notably on the Libyan issue and the situation in the Sahel region.
The Italian President’s two-day visit to Algeria culminated in the inking of agreements in the fields of education, justice and the safeguarding of cultural heritage.
The Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi paid a visit, in early April, to Algeria which resulted in the signing of an important gas agreement between Sonatrach and ENI.