APS : Wednesday, 02 August 2017
ALGIERS – Algeria and the United Kingdom expressed Tuesday their shared willingness to develop and intensify the bilateral cooperation in the judicial and legal matters.
In a statement to the press following his meeting with Justice Minister Tayeb Louh, UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt said that “the various reforms conducted by Algeria in the field of magistracy were discussed,” highlighting the “major” strides it achieved.
Burt, who was accompanied by Lord Richard Risby, special envoy of UK Prime Minister for partnership with Algeria, described the Algerian-UK relations as “exemplary” and “excellent.”
The British official who is paying his fifth visit to Algeria, added that his meeting with the Minister of Justice “shows that cooperation between the two countries is not limited to the commercial and business aspects only,” highlighting the convergence of views between the two parties on many legal and judicial issues.
As for him, Tayeb Louh added that he and the British minister had conducted “an overall assessment” of the bilateral cooperation in the legal and judicial matters, citing the agreements concluded between the two countries, notably in the commercial and penal fields, notably the extradition of criminals.
The meeting also allowed for “an exchange of experiences the reform of the judiciary, the independence of the judiciary and the preservation of freedoms and rights,” he said.
Cooperation in the fight against organized crime, including terrorism and the drying-up of its sources of financing, and the fight against drug trafficking were also broached, the Minister stressed, stressing the importance of eradicating this scourge which threatens the stability and development of societies and countries.
Louh recalled the “intense” cooperation between Algeria and Britain on penitentiary reform, adding that the last stage of the reform programme this sector will be launched in the coming months.
