SA, Algeria bolster trade links

(Image: GCIS)

This as President Jacob Zuma and his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika identified that there are tremendous opportunities that need to be explored.

"President Bouteflika and I have agreed on the need to ensure that our strong bilateral political relationship is translated into increased economic and trade relations," President Zuma told the media after official talks with President Bouteflika.

Business delegations of the two countries have started engaging in order to take this relationship forward.

President Zuma is leading several Cabinet Ministers and businesspeople on a two-day state visit to Algeria.

President Zuma described the visit as successful and committed to implement agreements to expand the bilateral relationship.

"There is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that we carry our partnership forward. We have urged our Ministers to drive the process in taking our relationship to the next level," he said.

While President Zuma held talks with President Bouteflika, the Ministers were locked in the bi-national commission (BNC), which reviewed the status of bilateral engagements and looked at ways to further consolidate political and economic relations.

The BNC has allowed the Ministers to develop programmes of collaboration in a number of areas such as science and technology, arts and culture and defence and security.

The consultations also identified more areas of cooperation including higher education and training, public works and housing, space science and technologies, energy, mineral resources, ICT, transport, local government, labour, employment and social security, health and tourism.

The two Presidents also discussed developments in Mali, Libya, South Sudan, Lesotho as well as the situation in the Middle East.

The two also welcomed the decision of the African Union Peace and Security Council on Western Sahara, which was adopted on 27 March 2015. The council has asked the United Nations Security Council to "make every effort to expedite the process of decolonisation of Western Sahara".

"We further affirmed our condemnation of all forms of terrorism and we underscored the need for our continued collaboration in fighting this transnational scourge," said President Zuma.