APS : Wednesday, 23 September 2020
ALGIERS-The Joint Technical Committee in charge of the delimitation of maritime borders between Algeria and Italy, was officially installed Wednesday in Algiers, on the occasion of the visit to Algeria of Italian Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Manlio Di Stefano.
“Manlio Di Stefano and I have just officially installed the Joint Technical Committee in charge of the delimitation of the maritime borders between Algeria and Italy,” said the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chakib Rachid Kaid, at the end of the audience he granted to the Italian Secretary of State.
This committee, which is currently in a negotiation meeting, is “called, eventually, to set the maritime borders between our two countries, in continuation of the excellent political and economic relations that traditionally unite Algeria and Italy,” said Kaid.
He expressed “the satisfaction of the Algerian Government” for the launch of this negotiation process, which is, according to him “the fruit of regular bilateral consultation and political decision taken at the highest level of our two states during the visit to Algeria of the President of the Italian Council of Ministers Guiseppe Conte.
He also stressed that this visit of Di Stefano “which is not limited to the ceremony of launching negotiations on the borders, even if the symbolism attached to this issue is sufficiently strong and expressive of the level of our relations,” allows to take stock of all issues of bilateral political and economic cooperation,” he added.
In this context “We have already considered the principles bilateral high-level deadlines, including the bilateral strategic dialogue, the bilateral follow-up committee, the bilateral high-level meeting and the Business Forum,” heavy files that “mobilize our attention and on which the discussion will continue throughout the day.”
It is also planned that the Secretary of State may meet other senior Algerian officials to discuss with them the bilateral relations and their prospects.
For his part, the Secretary of State at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Algeria as an “extraordinary partner” for his country and for the Mediterranean and with whom “we share enormous opportunities and history.”
Algeria is a country with which “we have excellent relations both politically and commercially, a country that contributes in a real way to very important chapters for Italy such as energy supply and management of the Mediterranean in terms of security and wealth,” said Di Stefano.
In addition to cooperation in the economic and political fields, Algeria, for the Italian Secretary of State, is the country with which Italy “shares today also the political effort for the stability of Libya” he said.
He also considered that the installation today of the Technical Committee is a “fundamental” step, adding that the delimitation of exclusive economic zones in the Mediterranean “can only be achieved through consultation between neighboring countries.
“We share a small but rich space and instead of this sea divides it should rather unite”, said Di Stefano noting that Italy and Algeria “do not need any factor of misunderstanding.”
