The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, received today at the Farnesina, seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sabri Boukadoum. During the meeting, the two Ministers examined bilateral dossiers of strategic interest and some international and regional issues, on which there is a strong consensus, starting with the Libyan crisis.
Minister Di Maio, first of all, thanked his Algerian colleague for the solidarity shown by his country to Italy at the beginning of the pandemic, with the medical material donated by the Algerian Red Crescent to the Italian Red Cross and for the cooperation for the repatriation of hundreds of Italian citizens from Algeria. The two Ministers reaffirmed the strong relationship of friendship and strategic partnership that unites Italy and Algeria. Minister Di Maio reiterated Italy’s interest in deepening the political dialogue with the North African country and in organizing important bilateral meetings soon, such as the Fourth Intergovernmental Summit, the Strategic Dialogue on Political and Security Issues and the Italy-Algeria Business Forum. Di Maio confirmed Italy’s willingness to strengthen further collaboration with the Algerian authorities in the management of irregular immigration. The Ministers also agreed to start negotiations for the delimitation of the respective maritime areas of interest as early as next September.
Di Maio and Boukadoum then shared their concern about the situation on the ground in Libya, whose instability is reflected in the region, and about external interference in the country. Minister Di Maio reiterated the urgency of appointing a new Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General. He stressed that the only credible path to peace remains that of a comprehensive intra-Libyan agreement negotiated under the auspices of the UN in the framework of the Berlin Process. Recalling that stability in Libya and the Sahel is a strategic priority for Italy and Europe, Di Maio finally expressed appreciation for the efforts made by Algeria in the fight against terrorism and for the strengthening of the institutions of the Sahel countries to combat the root causes of instability in the region.