Italian Foreign Minister: “Dialogue with Algeria is important for calming down the Middle East”

At the height of the diplomatic crisis with the capitals of “fluctuating positions”, namely Paris and Madrid, in relation to the Western Sahara issue, Algeria maintained the continuity of the strategic dialogue with Italy, which held a new session in the capital Rome on Monday, a few days after announcing a new and unique partnership for electricity connection via a submarine cable, amidst Rome’s confirmation that “Algeria is a natural political and economic ally of Rome”, and that dialogue with it is important for calming down the Middle East.
As is known, the strategic dialogue between Italy and Algeria is a mechanism for consultation between the two countries on bilateral relations that have reached unprecedented historical levels for several years, at the level of many political, diplomatic and economic levels.
At the conclusion of the Algerian-Italian strategic dialogue in the capital Rome, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that “Algeria is a natural partner for Italy from an economic and political point of view”, stressing that his country “intends to increasingly strengthen cooperation with the southern shore of the Mediterranean in order to face common challenges”.
The Rome Diplomatic Official added that “the dialogue with Algeria is also important to promote calm in the Middle East and contribute to the stability of the entire region”, referring to Algeria’s role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and the role it can play in resolving crises in the Middle East and the region as a whole.
According to what was reported by Italian media, quoting a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the strategic dialogue that took place on Monday in Rome included 3 working groups, dedicated to political and security cooperation and economic cooperation, in addition to the Italian government’s “Mattei” plan directed towards the African continent, and finally bilateral cooperation in technical and cultural matters.
According to the same sources, at the end of the work, which was chaired by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lunas Makraman, and his Italian counterpart, Riccardo Guariglia, a brief document was signed containing practical indicators on the path to strengthening bilateral relations.
The importance of strengthening political and security cooperation to make the Mediterranean region a region of peace and dialogue was emphasized in particular, according to the same sources.
It is noteworthy that Algeria and Italy have maintained, for years, and on a regular basis, the mechanisms of high-level dialogue and consultation, whether the joint bilateral summit or the work of the strategic dialogue, in addition to Algeria being the only country included in the “Matai Plan” directed to the African continent through 4 sectors, namely energy, agriculture, health, and universities and training.
Before that, a new and unique bilateral partnership was announced in the city of Milan, northern Italy, for the interconnection of electricity with Europe via a submarine cable between Sonatrach, Sonelgaz, and the “Eni” group, one of its most important messages is that Algeria has once again chosen its reliable energy partner, which is Rome, away from the countries with volatile positions, namely France and Spain.