President Bouteflika Pleads For Continuity

The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, highlighted, in a message to the nation read out on his behalf on Sunday in Adrar (southern Algeria) by Mr. Noureddine Bedoui, Minister of the Interior, Local Assemblies and Country Planning, the need for greater economic efficiency to ensure the sustainability of social justice and national solidarity, stressing that Algeria has the potential and capacities to win the battle of edification and development.

On the occasion of the celebration of the twin anniversary of the creation of the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) and the nationalization of hydrocarbons, the President indicated in his message that “it is true that we enjoy social and economic progress, but we remain, deeply, aware of the need for greater economic efficiency to ensure the sustainability of our sacred choice, that of social justice and national solidarity”, adding that Algeria has the potential and capacities to win the battle of construction and development”.

“There are also countless opportunities for diversifying the national economy in terms of mineral wealth, agricultural potential and scientific skills, which only require better exploitation, with greater efficiency and quality, to generate additional income for the country,” the President said.

“This brief presentation on the different stages of Algeria’s contemporary history in terms of struggle and construction is a clear illustration of my message, the message of the virtues of continuity.

The continuity that makes each generation contribute to the fulfillment of achievements. A continuity, that guarantees perseverance on the right path and makes it possible to remedy marginal errors. A continuity, that will allow Algeria to move up a gear in the race for progress and prosperity,” the head of state underscored in his message.

“Over the past two decades, Algeria has been able to combine the wealth of hydrocarbons with independent political decision making and to combine the arms and will of its loyal sons,” President Bouteflika said, recalling that “Once the country has emerged from the horrors of national tragedy and economic and social restructuring, we have embarked on the process of development and construction” which has allowed “little by little, Algeria to free itself from the burden of external debt, to remove the specter of unemployment that has almost suffocated our young people, and to considerably curb the manifestations of poverty and misery thanks to the construction, throughout the country, of thousands of schools, hundreds of hospitals, dozens of universities and millions of new housing units”.

“This undertaking could not have been carried out without the independence of our political and economic decision, which has enabled us to overcome the financial difficulties of recent years. In addition, it has been made possible thanks to social peace and the mobilization of workers under the banner of the National Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA),” the President added in his message.

On the security front, the Head of State Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika highlighted “the current instability and scourges of terrorism and cross-border crime that mark our immediate neighborhood and impose themselves on our valiant National People’s Army (ANP), which we salute once again”, recalling that our army needs a conscious, mobilized and valiant people to be a valuable support and a strong shield so as to preserve the stability of our country”.

The official Adrar celebrations were attended by Minister of Energy Mustapha Guitouni, Minister of Labor, Employment and Social Security Mourad Zemmali, CEO of Sonatrach, Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour, Secretary-General of the General Union of Algerian Workers Abdelmadjid Sidi Said as well as the Campaign Manager of presidential candidate Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Abdelmalek Sellal, in addition to the President of the Forum of Heads of Enterprises (FCE) Ali Haddad.