Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf spoke of the tragic situation in Palestine, calling on the international community to provide urgent aid to the populations of Ghaza who are suffering a total siege and constant bombings.
The 20th session of the ministerial meeting of African and Nordic countries opened yesterday at the Algiers International Conference Center, with the participation of around thirty countries including the five from Northern Europe (Denmark, Norway , Finland, Sweden, and Iceland). In his opening speech, Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf emphasized ” the importance of dialogue in a world increasingly divided and exposed to shocks and conflicts.”
Recalling President Tebboune’s attachment to dialogue and consultation as a means of resolving crises and conflicts, Mr. Attaf welcomed the holding, for the first time in Algeria, of this meeting for cooperation and consultation between Africa and the Nordic countries.
Welcoming the historic and honorable positions of the Nordic countries which defended the rights of African people to self-determination and supported the liberation movements in Africa, Mr. Attaf highlighted the fact that Africa and the Nordic countries are united by the same values on which the United Nations (UN) is based, namely the promotion of peace, the defense of the sovereignty of countries, respect for international law, the consecration of the right of peoples to self-determination and the resolution of crises and conflicts by peaceful means.
Call for urgent aid for Palestine
The head of Algerian diplomacy noted, in this wake, the tragic situation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, which has suffered, for ten days, a complete siege and incessant shelling by Israeli occupying forces, killing more than 3,000 Palestinians, including children, and injuring nearly 14,000 others.
Firmly condemning these bombings “in full view of everyone, without the slightest respect for humanitarian rules and international laws” , Mr. Attaf renewed Algeria’s full solidarity with “the Palestinian brothers”.
He further called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and provide “urgent support for the oppressed and persecuted, to put an end to this aggression and work to revive the peace process, with a view to enabling the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with Al Quds as its capital.
The MAE mentioned other people who are still suffering the horrors of colonization and who are in Africa. These are the Sahrawi people. He thus reiterated Algeria’s support for this “just cause” and “the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, to the recovery of their dispossessed lands and to the completion of the decolonization process in Africa”.
Common aspirations
Addressing the situation in the Sahel, Mr. Attaf stressed that the populations of this region “suffer from the fallout of poverty, insecurity and instability, following numerous unconstitutional changes.” But, he assured, Algeria is resolutely committed to helping the countries of the Sahel to overcome their difficulties and resolve their problems in “the interest of the region, in particular, and of Africa, in general”.
He believes that “nothing should undermine our will and our aspirations for a prosperous future guaranteeing security, stability, development, and well-being for all, without any exclusion or discrimination”. Mr. Attaf also noted the need to put an end to the marginalization within international bodies of developing countries, led by African countries.
He thus pleaded for a more “balanced and just” world order. For him, this meeting “reflects common aspirations to establish bridges of cooperation and solidarity in the face of all these challenges and increased threats.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, spokesperson for the Nordic countries, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, pleaded, during his intervention, for “a fair international system”, calling “to work together to strengthen the work of international institutions.
“In this changing world, Africa is a force which has its weight and its importance and which enjoys great diversity, hence our presence here to explore opportunities, capable of strengthening our bilateral relations”, said Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who called for “frank exchanges” during this ministerial meeting.
Referring to the Ukrainian crisis and its impact on global food security as well as the situation in the Middle East and unconstitutional changes in Africa, the head of Danish diplomacy insisted on sustainable development and the establishment of security and stability in the world.
