APS : Saturday, 24 March 2018
BELGRADE- Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel, who is on an official visit to Serbia, met in Belgrade on Saturday with Ivica Dacic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia.
The two ministers broached the memory of Serbian Cameraman of the Algerian Revolution Steva Labudovic, who died last November. He symbolizes the historical ties between the two countries.
They then made an “overall assessment” of the state of bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries in various fields, welcoming the “quality” of the Algerian-Serbian relations of friendship and cooperation.
In this context, they welcomed the outcomes of the last session of the military commission on monitoring defence cooperation.
Concerning the economic cooperation, Messahel and Dacic stressed “the importance of giving the two countries relations a new impetus, so they live up to the potentials and the multiple opportunities offered by the Algerian and Serbian markets, in various domains, notably energy, agriculture, tourism and air transport.”
In this regard, the ministers stressed the need for updating the legal framework on the bilateral cooperation and to speed up the finalization of the pending draft agreements, to be ready for signature during the next Joint Commission to be held soon in Algiers.
Broaching the situations of crisis and conflict, Messahel and Dacic exchanged views about the situation in Mali, the Sahel, Libya and Syria.
Messahel reiterated Algeria’s position in favor of “political solutions based on inclusive dialogue and national reconciliation, without outside interference and in respect for the willingness of peoples and States’ sovereignty and integrity.”
On Western Sahara, Foreign Minister Messahel reiterated Algeria’s position, “which is in line with international legality and relevant UN resolutions,” recalling that Western Sahara territory is a territory inscribed since 1963 on the list of non-self-governing territories, awaiting their decolonization by the exercise of Western Sahara people of their “inalienable” right to self-determination.
He also informed his Serbian counterpart of the relevant decisions of the African Union, notably the January 2018’s decision, calling on both parties, Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, to engage in direct dialogue to find a solution to the conflict.
With regard to the challenges facing the international community, Messahel and Dacic discussed the de-radicalization, the fight against terrorism, organized crime and illegal migration.
Messahel shared with his Serbian counterpart the Algerian experience in de-radicalization and the fight against terrorism. He outlined all the measures taken over the years to promote the values of dialogue, reconciliation and coexistence.
Following the talks, the two ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on environment, sustainable development and renewable energies, as well as a programme of cooperation in the sector of youth and sports covering the period 2018-2020.
