Italy and Algeria agreed on Wednesday to cooperate on fighting terrorism and managing migration flows during an intergovernmental meeting in Rome, while companies signed new deals in energy and telecommunications.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphili, following a visit to Algiers by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in March.
"Our bilateral relations have reached a level of intensity and solidity that had never been achieved before," Meloni told a news conference after the meeting.
Algeria is Italy's leading trading partner in Africa, with bilateral trade worth almost 14 billion euros ($16.4 billion) and Italian investments amounting to 8.5 billion euros, according to Meloni's government.
"I express my confidence in what we have achieved at this summit. The agreements signed open broad horizons for a model strategic partnership that reflects the depth of our relations," Tebboune said.
The two governments signed 13 agreements, including one on fighting terrorism and its financing, though they did not specify which threats the pact targeted.
The countries also agreed to coordinate search and rescue operations for migrants attempting the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Europe.
Meloni’s right-wing government, elected in 2022, has pledged to curb migrant arrivals.
Italian energy group Eni signed a $1.3 billion production-sharing contract this month with Algerian state-owned oil and gas company Sonatrach to explore and develop hydrocarbons.
On the sidelines of the Rome meeting, Eni and Sonatrach signed an additional agreement to expand cooperation.
"We are very satisfied with the collaboration between Eni and its counterpart Sonatrach, which will become even stronger," Meloni told reporters.
Eni buys gas from Sonatrach under a long-term contract, making Algeria a key fuel supplier for Italy after Rome cut ties with Russia's Gazprom following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
A separate deal will involve Sparkle, a subsea cable company and unit of Telecom Italia (TIM), which is set to be sold to a consortium led by Italy’s Treasury later this year.
Sparkle will sign a preliminary agreement with Algerie Telecom to build a new subsea cable linking the two countries.
"Algeria is a strategic partner, and we are working hard to make this partnership ever broader, stronger and more diversified," Tajani said at a business forum attended by over 400 companies from the two nations.
Denmark announced on Sunday that it was banning civilian drone flights after sightings of drones near several military facilities overnight, following...
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called on his Labour Party to stop “navel gazing” and to unite against Reform UK, accusing the risin...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday there was “a real chance for greatness in the Middle East”, though he offered no concrete details or ti...
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has vowed a “significant improvement” in the security of government administrative systems after a major fire...
The Kremlin on Sunday dismissed warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russian officials should familiarise themselves with bomb s...
Denmark announced on Sunday that it was banning civilian drone flights after sightings of drones near several military facilities overnight, following a week in which drone activity forced the temporary closure of a number of Danish airports.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called on his Labour Party to stop “navel gazing” and to unite against Reform UK, accusing the rising populist party of pursuing a “racist policy” of mass deportation if it came to power.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday there was “a real chance for greatness in the Middle East”, though he offered no concrete details or timeline, just days after claiming he was close to securing an agreement to end the conflict in Gaza.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has vowed a “significant improvement” in the security of government administrative systems after a major fire at the national data centre brought online services across the country to a halt.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Denmark announced on Sunday that it was banning civilian drone flights after sightings of drones near several military facilities overnight, following a week in which drone activity forced the temporary closure of a number of Danish airports.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called on his Labour Party to stop “navel gazing” and to unite against Reform UK, accusing the rising populist party of pursuing a “racist policy” of mass deportation if it came to power.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday there was “a real chance for greatness in the Middle East”, though he offered no concrete details or timeline, just days after claiming he was close to securing an agreement to end the conflict in Gaza.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has vowed a “significant improvement” in the security of government administrative systems after a major fire at the national data centre brought online services across the country to a halt.
The Kremlin on Sunday dismissed warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russian officials should familiarise themselves with bomb shelters, saying Kyiv was losing the conflict and that its negotiating position was weakening.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment