List News    News

Youssef Chahed to visit Algeria October 9

Published the:  07/10/2016

| Share

October 7, 2016 – TAP - Prime Minister Youssef Chahed will head a government delegation on a working visit to Algeria on Sunday, October 9.

"The visit is likely to open new prospects of co-operation between the two countries in all fields," Algeria's ambassador in Tunis, Abdelkader Hajar said Friday after a meeting with the Prime Minister in Kasbah on preparations for this first foreign trip of Youssef Chahed.

The Ambassador expressed satisfaction at the "strategic and exceptional relations" between the two peoples, the Prime Ministry said in a press release.

Algeria, the main partner of Tunisia in the region in all fields, especially economic and security, maintains excellent ties of brotherhood, co-operation and good neighborly relations with Tunisia.

The two countries are driven by a common will to hoist the co-operative relations to the level of complementarity and strategic, equitable and sustainable partnership, according to the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Tunisia and Algeria are working to strengthen coordination and consultation on issues of common interest in order to face the current challenges, such as developing and securing the common border areas. Nine border crossings are located on the border between the two countries.

Economically, several bilateral agreements have been signed, including the Preferential Trade Agreement (entered into force on March 1, 2014) and the signing of financial protocols with a value of US $ 600 million in grants, loans and deposits.

Algeria is the first trade partner of Tunisia at the Arab and Maghreb levels.

The value of trade reached 4 billion dinars in 2014, while the value of exports amounted to 1.1 billion dinars in 2015.

In addition, trade in the first seven months of 2016 stood at more than 7,000 million dinars: 4.831 million dinars for exports and 3,976 for imports.

Algeria is also Tunisia’s main supplier in energy. It covers 60 percent of the country's needs.

In the tourism sector, the Algerians have held, for several years, the first place (1.5 million tourists in 2015).

Moreover, Tunisia and Algeria are working to further develop cooperation in the areas of transportation, equipment, energy, industry and tourism.

They also work to develop co-operation in the fields of education, higher education and scientific research.

A Tunis-Annaba land transport line was reactivated early August, knowing that efforts are ongoing especially in rail transportation (connection of railways between the two countries) and air transport.