Italian President Sergio Mattarella To Visit Algeria November 6

The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, will pay an official visit to Algeria on November 6-7, 2021.

The Algerian ambassador to Rome, Ahmed Boutache, said in an interview with the private news agency “Agenzia Nova” that “The state visit was prepared for a long time. Its date was set on November 6 and 7, and aims to give a strong impetus to the partnership between the two countries and open new horizons of cooperation in all sectors”.

The last visit of an Italian president to Algeria was 18 years ago, by former President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

The same agency revealed that Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra will visit Rome on Tuesday evening to participate in a ministerial conference “Italy-Africa” and will meet his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio. This is the first visit of an Algerian diplomatic official to Italy since he assumed the foreign ministry.

The Algerian ambassador to Rome explained that Italy could play a leading role in Algeria, whether concerning the hydrocarbon sector or renewable energies.

In his response regarding the Nigeria-Algeria-Europe gas pipeline, Ambassador Boutache explained that the Algerian-Italian cooperation in the field of energy will be strengthened by this gas pipeline, which will be completed shortly, asserting that Italy can play an important role in this file and enhance the flow of gas to Europe through Algeria.

Boutache ruled out that Italy would play a mediating role between Algeria and France, following President Macron’s recent statements.

Regarding the severing of diplomatic relations with Morocco, Ahmed Boutache said that Algeria is fed up with Moroccan provocations, and expressed his hope that Rabat will learn the lesson this time and return to an acceptable and realistic approach in the region.

Ambassador Ahmed Boutache spoke of a conspiracy between the Makhzen regime and Israel to try to undermine Algeria’s stability, “but our country is aware and conscient of these attempts and will take all necessary measures to protect the country”.