Algiers, April 18 (NNN-APS) Algerian Foreign Minister Mohammed Bedjaoui and his Mozambican counterpart, Alcinda Antonio De Abreu have agreed to strengthen bilateral relations following talks here Monday.
In a statement issued after their meeting, they added that the discussions had also included exchanges on international issues of common interest between Algeria and Mozambique.
Antonio de Abreu, who described Algerian-Mozambican relations as historic relations, told the press that the signing of the joint statement represented a very important moment for their consolidation".
"We are sealing the reinforcement of co-operation between the two governments by expressing the friendship and solidarity between the two peoples," she said.
She added that this "will be achieved through the common fight against poverty as well as the improvement of living conditions of our two peoples for a better world".
Earlier, Minister for Maghreb and African Affairs Abdelkader Messahel and Antonio de Abreu held a working session focused particularly on bilateral cooperation.
After this meeting, Messahel told APS that the two parties had agreed to bring together the Algerian-Mozambican Main Joint Committee by the end of this year to review the legal framework supervising bilateral co-operation.
The Main Joint Committee will also be based on some main lines of co-operation, especially in agriculture, health, training and energy, he said, stressing that a group of experts would go to Mozambique to prepare for the meeting of the Main Committee.
The working session was also an opportunity to deal with issues of common interest, notably the next African elections, the Accra summit, the issue of Europe-Africa relations and the next Lisbon Summit, he added.
"We have agreed,� he said, “that the participation of Zimbabwe, an integral part of Africa, is essential for partnership that we have with Europe" and other continents.
The Mozambican minister, who is on a three-day official visit in Algeria, at the invitation of Bedjaoui, said Sunday that her country intended to benefit from co-operation with Algeria in different domains of development.
She noted that through the beneficial support and assistance of Algeria, Mozambique at present enjoyed an 8.9 percent annual growth rate and was able to control inflation while reducing the incidence of poverty.