(4 minutes read)
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited Algeria as the two nations look to build up a strategic partnership for mutual benefit. Italy is also planning to beef up its sourcing of energy requirements from the north African country as it is trying to reduce dependence on Russia in the aftermath of the Russian-Ukraine war, which disrupted the gas supply to the west European states
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited Algeria as the two nations look to build up a strategic partnership for mutual benefit. Italy is also planning to beef up its sourcing of energy requirements from the north African country as it is trying to reduce dependence on Russia in the aftermath of the Russian-Ukraine war, which disrupted the gas supply to the west European states. Significantly, the visit of the Italian prime minister went without media glare.
This is the third visit of Meloni to Algiers in less than a year, a record by an Italian premier. The low-key affair, this time, did not deter the two countries from bringing to the table partnerships beyond gas as both countries are committed to taking the partnership beyond the energy sector.
Now, Algeria is Italy’s number one energy supplier replacing Russia. The visit of the prime minister was to strengthen that strategic relationship and build on that. She also wanted to reassure Algeria that the relationship would be of mutual interest and long-term. In the meantime, Rome is also looking to boost partnerships in naval construction, cars, and start-ups.
Meloni was welcomed by Prime Minister Aimeeinister Aimene Benabderrahmane on arrival. She also called on Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. A number of agreements for cooperation were signed between the two countries in different fields. Another massive oil deal is also in the offing, according to sources
In a way, the Russia-Ukraine war enhanced dependence on Algeria by the Western European countries for their energy requirements. A number of countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, etc are scouting Algeria for their energy requirements. Massive aid and concessional loans are flowing from these countries and multilateral organizations to Algeria, which seems to be playing her cards well.
There are also talks to convert Italy into a hub for sourcing Algerian gas. An initial deal last year added 9 billion cubic meters of gas by 2023-24 to be sent via the Trans-Mediterranean pipeline. Months later, in July, a US $4 billion agreement between the companies Eni, the Italian energy company, and Occidental and Total was concluded. ENI CEO Claudio Descalzi was a part of the delegation. Another Italian major Sonatrach also has a good presence in Algeria and is taking steps for expanding its footprint.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/algerian-president-to-visit-france-in-may-2023/
https://trendsnafrica.com/pakistan-algeria-bilateral-trade-target-set-at-1-billion/
https://trendsnafrica.com/eni-to-set-up-a-second-solar-park-in-algeria/
It is not known whether the heads of the two countries discussed the thorny migrant issues when they met. The influx of migrants to West Europe particularly from Tunisia and Algeria has forced Western European countries to take stringent actions, which did not go well with the North African countries.
