Algeria and Spain sign crucial deals

ALGIERS - Agence France-Presse

Algeria and Spain signed several cooperation accords on Jan 10, including in energy, during a ministerial visit to the OPEC country led by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, official sources said.

Algiers and Madrid signed agreements to cooperate in the industrial, energy, and cultural sectors, as well as to facilitate visa allocations, the official APS news agency reported.

Three partnership deals were also signed by Spanish and Algerian firms to build more than 50,000 homes in Algeria, while another accord was signed that envisages collaboration in technology and civil protection. Rajoy, who met President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, headed a top-level delegation from Spain, which depends on Algeria as its top supplier of natural gas. The two sides discussed the situation in Mali, where armed groups have occupied the northern region that borders Algeria.