The Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, declared that the first consultation meeting held recently in Tunis between the Algerian President, Abdelmajid Tebboune, the Tunisian President, Kaïs Saïed, and the Libyan President, Mohamed Younes el-Menfi, was “successful, is not the emanation of special circumstances, and is not an alternative to the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA)”.
During a meeting with local Algerian media, Attaf indicated that the consultation meeting is not directed against any party. “The Arab Maghreb Union remains a project and a historic objective, and the door to consultations remains open to everyone if faith and political will are united.”
The head of Algerian diplomacy added that Algerian President, “Abdelmajid Tebboune has been thinking about this initiative for a long time, and discussed it with the leaders and ministers of Foreign Affairs of these countries, during the various visits they carried out in Algeria.
He considered that “North Africa and the Arab Maghreb Union represent, almost, the only region in the world which is devoid of a mechanism for regular and periodic consultation between the countries of this region”.
He regretted that the Arab Maghreb region has issues that are making waves in the world, like the Libyan issue, or that of the Saharan Sahel region. “These issues are, nevertheless, raised by all countries, except the countries of the region, which are the first to be concerned, “it is a bitter reality”, according to him.
Attaf also affirmed that “the first consultation meeting between the three countries led to positive results, in particular, on the political side, which is reflected in the content of the final declaration, crowned by 4 main issues affecting the lives of the citizens of these countries, namely the development of border regions, energy, food security, and the resolution of trade problems. These are the priorities of joint action between the three countries, before the next summit which will be held in Tripoli after three months.
Regarding the situation in the Sahel, Attaf indicated that “Algeria has not remained idle in the face of what is happening in this region, is fulfilling its duty, and is fully fulfilling its responsibilities, to guarantee the security and stability of this region. »
“The deplorable situation in this region, politically and economically, requires vigilance and intensified efforts,” he said.
In doing so, the Algerian Foreign Minister declared that there were no problems in Franco-Algerian relations, announcing an imminent meeting that would bring him together with his French counterpart, in anticipation of upcoming deadlines between the two countries.
