Messahel: “Algeria-US cooperation not confined to security and military issues”

The cooperation between Algeria and the United States, “is not only limited to security or military issues but to all areas of partnership”, said Tuesday in Algiers the Minister of Maghreb Affairs, African Union and Arab League Abdelkader Messahel.

“Relations between Algeria and the United States of America are not only confined to security and military issues, they also pertain to all areas as a whole.” 

Algeria-United States relations, which go “back several years,” are marked by “trust”, visiting commander of AFRICOM, General David Rodriguez said for his part Tuesday in Algiers.

“We have relationships that go back several years with Algeria and throughout this period we were able to build mutual trust,” Rodriguez told the press after a working session with Minister of Maghreb Affairs, the African Union and the Arab League, Abdelkader Messahel.

General Rodriguez, who stressed he “greatly appreciated” the exchange of views with Messahel on Algeria’s efforts for stability in the region, said he discussed the ways and means to support Algeria to achieve this goal.

Algerian and the United States approach, as well as the United Nations’ one, regarding the situation in Libya, converge towards a political solution in this country, said Abdelkader Messahel.

 “The approach of Algeria and the United States, as well as the UN and the international community’s one, as part of the current context, converge towards a political solution that would allow the emergence of a national unity government in Libya,” Messahel said at the end of a working session with General David Rodriguez, commander of AFRICOM, who visits Algeria.

“The stability of Libya is important not only for the directly involved neighboring countries, such as Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Chad and Niger, but also for the security and stability of the entire region and the Mediterranean, “said the Minister.

In this connection, Messahel said he discussed with the commander of Africom the “link” between the situation in Libya, northern Mali and Niger, saying that “the quick stabilization of the situation in Libya would further improve the situation in northern Mali.”

For Messahel, “the enemy is identified; it consists in thwarting terrorist groups and organized crime.”

“When the situation is stable, the fight against terrorist and criminal groups is better organized,” said the minister who described the signing of the peace and reconciliation agreement in Mali as “an extremely important step for the stabilization of the country.”