APS : Tuesday, 20 March 2018
ALGIERS- Assistant Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in charge of Political Affairs and Security Policy, Alejandro Alvargonzales affirmed Monday,
in Algiers, that there is “much to learn” from Algeria’s efforts in maintaining the region’s stability.
Speaking in a statement to the press following the audience granted to him by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdelkader Messahel, NATO’ s official said that he broached with Messahel the efforts made by Algeria in maintaining regional stability, affirming that “there is much to learn from these efforts”.
“We must understand and learn from what Algeria has done during all these years” for the stability of the region, he added, saying he is “very honored” to receive a detailed explanation from the minister about what can or must be done “to better cooperate and understand what is happening in the Mediterranean.”
For his part, Messahel said that Alvargonzales’ visit is part of the dialogue between NATO and Algeria, adding that the two sides have established a “permanent dialogue”.
“They are very useful meetings insofar as we discuss regional security and issues facing our region,” he said.
He underlined that this kind of meetings is important for “both of us,” as we “present, according to our own interpretation, what is happening in our immediate environment as the situation in Libya, Sahel and the fight against terrorism.”
“We are trying to face these challenges on the basis of our own experience that we want to share with our partners,” he affirmed.
Messahel also pointed out that the meeting was an opportunity “to talk about all what has been undertaken in Algeria since the law of mercy, then the civil concord and finally the national reconciliation.”
“We are today in a new phase which is the living-together,” said Messahel, underscoring that Algeria initiated a resolution at the level of the United Nations which focuses on the living-together in peace, deciding to make from 16 May of each year the “International Day of Living Together.”
In a statement to the press, the ministry said that during these talks, the two sides “assessed relations and cooperation between Algeria and NATO as part of Algeria’s participation in the Mediterranean Dialogue of NATO.
They welcomed, on this occasion, the “quality” of dialogue and cooperation between Algeria and NATO and underlined the cooperation prospects initiated as part of the implementation of the individual partnership and cooperation programme, signed between the two sides in 2014, according to the source.
