Under the guidance of Minister Tajani, the Secretary General of the Italian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia, travelled to Algiers on 29 and 30 June to co-chair, together with his Algerian counterpart Ambassador Lounès Magramane, the fourth session of the Italy-Algeria Strategic Dialogue, an important mechanism for bilateral consultations.
The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on the most significant regional and international issues, starting with the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, also analysed in light of the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Both interlocutors reiterated the importance of making every diplomatic effort to ensure stability and growth across the entire region and confirmed their commitment to working together for the stability of the Mediterranean, beginning with the crisis in Libya, for which they underlined their strong support for United Nations mediation. At the conclusion of the session, a summary document was signed containing operational guidelines aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations in preparation for the upcoming Italy-Algeria Intergovernmental Summit scheduled to take place in Rome on 23 July.
During a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Strategic Dialogue, Ambassador Guariglia and Ambassador Magramane discussed several key aspects of the Italy-Algeria partnership. Special attention was also given to the death of our Italian national Alex Bonucchi, who tragically passed away on 4 January 2021 by electrocution inside a hotel in Rouiba, 40 km from Algiers, where he was staying for professional reasons. The Secretary General expressed the hope that the Algerian authorities will soon provide the missing answers needed to shed full light on the incident, also reaffirming the expectation that the repeated requests from the family and our Embassy in Algiers for the return of the Italian national’s organs will soon receive a positive response.
Ambassador Guariglia was also received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Attaf.
