MAE, December 8, 2011
Minister Delegate for Maghreb and African Affairs Abdelkader Messahel held talks on December 8 in Brussels with Mr. Stefan Fûle, EU Commissioner for Expansion and Neighborliness Policy.
The meeting with Mr. Fûle dealt primarily with bilateral cooperation between Algeria and the EU. It was held on the margins of Mr. Messahel’s visit to Brussels in the framework of the multilateral meetings convened between the ministers for Foreign Affairs of the countries of the Sahel and the EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton.
In his discussions with Commissioner Fûle, the minister informed his interlocutor on the progress achieved in implementing the political reforms initiated by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, including those relating to the law expanding women’s participation in elected assemblies, the law on political parties, the electoral law, and the law on information.
The two officials have also reviewed the situation prevailing in the Maghreb and the Sahel.
In his response, Commissioner Fûle acknowledged “the strategic role” played by Algeria in the Maghreb and the Sahel and expressed his confidence with regards to implementation of political reforms in Algeria.
He said that pairing up “political progress” achieved in Algeria and a renovated EU policy on neighborliness creates “a momentum propitious to renewed relations between Algeria and the EU aimed at establishing a lasting and mutually beneficial partnership.”
