APS : Thursday, 19 July 2018
ALGIERS- Algeria is an “important pillar” in the stability of the Sahel region, said Thursday, in Algiers, Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister.
“We consider at the European Union that Algeria is an important pillar in the stability of the Sahel region,” Mc Allister told the press following his audience with Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdelkader Messahel.
Emphasizing the strengthening of the parliamentary cooperation between Algeria and EU, McAllister said that he is leading a delegation made up of seven political parties and his first stop was in Tunisia before coming to Algeria.
He underlined that the implementation, two years ago, of a cooperation committee between the People’s National Assembly and the European Parliament was a “big step”, adding that the cooperation between EU and the other countries must comprise the parliamentary section.
For his part, Messahel said that his talks with McAllister were “constructive” for both sides, allowing the two sides to broach the relations between Algeria and EU.
“We broached the situation in Algeria, notably the stages achieved since 1999 in the building of a rule of law and democracy,” he said, pointing out, in this regard, that “the credit goes to President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the good governance policy that he advocated since his election.”
Concerning the situation in the region, Messahel said that this meeting allowed Algeria “to give more explanations on its approach in the resolution of issues and conflicts.”
In this regard, he reaffirmed “the need to resolve the conflicts through dialogue and reconciliation,” pointing out, concerning Libya, that Algeria “supports the dialogue between the Libyans themselves, a solution which is part of the implementation of the United Nations plan, as well as the implementation of the roadmap of the UN special envoy in Libya Ghassane Salamé.”
Concerning Western Sahara, Messahel affirmed that “we are for the implementation of all the decisions and resolutions of the UN Security Council, as we support the special envoy of UN Secretary General for Western Sahara Horst Kohler in his efforts,” adding that he broached with McAllister the situation in the Sahel and the fight against terrorism as well as the fight against organized crime and illegal migration.”
