Turkish FM in Algeria for talks

ALGIERS-Anadolu Agency

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu met on Jan. 7 with Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad in Algiers, the capital of the North African country.

On the final day of a two-day visit, Çavuşoğlu also met with his Algerian counterpart Sabri Boukadoum and congratulated him for his post in the new government, recently formed in the wake of December elections.

Pointing to the importance of Turkish-Algerian cooperation, Çavuşoğlu said: “It is time to develop bilateral relations in many areas, including the economy.”

Turkey's top diplomat also stressed the importance of cooperation on regional issues, saying: “There are developments concerning our two countries. If we work together, we have confidence that we will bring peace and stability,”

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune received Çavuşoğlu to discuss bilateral, regional and economic developments.

"I know our friend Turkey is a great state, the relations between Turkey and Algeria are very close," Tebboune said, adding he was pleased to welcome Çavuşoğlu.

Çavuşoğlu in a statement on Twitter underlined that both countries were determined to improve relations.

He went on to say that Turkey's investment in Algeria ranked first at $3.5 billion dollars and both countries would collaborate to improve tourism and cultural exchange.

Libya's Sarraj visits Algeria

Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Libya's U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) also arrived in Algeria on Jan. 6 for talks.

He met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to discuss the situation in Libya.

The Algerian Presidency said in an earlier statement that the meeting "allows the opportunity to exchange views about the situation in Libya and ways to overcome it."

Libyan foreign and interior ministers Taher Siala and Fathi Bashagha, had arrived in Algeria earlier in the day.

Since the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

Though there was no mention of Algeria's eastern neighbor, it shares a 989-kilometer (615-mile) border with Libya, which has been wracked by civil war.