Algeria and Niger look to upgrade their relations to advanced strategic partnership
Algeria and Niger announced on Wednesday their intention to elevate their bilateral relations to the level of an advanced strategic partnership, at the conclusion of the second session of the Higher Joint Committee for Cooperation between the two countries.
The final communiqué of the commission’s work underscored the strategic and irreversible nature of their bilateral relations, stressing the principles of respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
The two countries stressed the importance of strengthening security and economic coordination to address common challenges in the Sahel, noting that their security and stability are closely intertwined.
They reiterated their commitment to intensify co-operation in the fight against terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organized crime through the activation of bilateral co-ordination mechanisms.
Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Lamine Zine and his Algerian counterpart Sevi Gharib on Tuesday oversaw the laying of the foundation stone of a 40-megawatt power plant project, which comes within the framework of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The second session of the Algerian-Nigerian Joint Grand Committee for Cooperation kicked off in Niamey on Monday, and the Algerian Prime Minister said on the occasion that the projects linking the two countries represent “vital arteries for development and integration, and the backbone of a promising economic corridor that will connect the Mediterranean basin with the depth of West Africa, opening wide prospects for trade, investment and joint development”.
For his part, the Nigerien prime minister highlighted the great potential that the two countries have in many fields, stressing that they can materialize major partnership projects, especially in the fields of infrastructure, energy and fuels, transport, health, agriculture and vocational training.
The work of the Nigerien-Algerian Joint Cooperation Committee comes after they announced that the page of tension between them had been closed, during a visit by Nigerien President General Abdourahamane Tiani to Algeria in mid-February at the invitation of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
