APS : Tuesday, 30 January 2018
ALGIERS- Algeria and Belgium have committed to giving new impetus to their relations, through the signing, Tuesday in Algiers, of a memorandum of understanding during a working session, co-chaired by Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, Didier Reynders.
“We have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen bilateral consultation and develop cooperation in different fields, with a view to bolstering Algerian-Belgian relations,” Reynders said at the end of the working session.
“The meeting was an opportunity to examine means and ways to bolster economic cooperation,” he said, adding that a series of initiatives have been decided to develop partnerships in the fields of green technology, energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste treatment, and water treatment and distribution.
The Belgian minister underlined the sector of tourism, expressing his country’s readiness to “strengthen cooperation with Algeria in the field, through the increase of flights to Algeria, from 7 to 10 flights per week.”
The working session allowed the two sides to discuss other issues of common interest, including climate change, the fight against terrorism and radicalization, especially with the return of foreign fighters from Syria and Iraq, he added.
As regards the illegal migration, Reynders said “Belgium and Algeria are in similar situation, as destination and transit countries.”
For his part, Messahel underlined the need for the two countries to strengthen relations, noting the joint decision to set up a consultation mechanism to that end.
The meeting was an opportunity to explain Algeria’s new strategy to free itself from dependence on hydrocarbons, through the diversification of its economy, by the development of agriculture, tourism and other sectors.”
The two sides also exchanged views on issues related to the fight against terrorism, organized crime, as well as the situation in Libya and the Sahel region,” he added.
