Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman leaves Algiers following talks with Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia
The supreme coordination council set up to enhance cooperation in various fields including politics, security, combating terrorism, economy, energy, mining, culture and education, among others
Two-day official visit to Algiers was latest leg of tour of Arab nations and follows trip to Mauritania
ALGIERS: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia left Algeria following a two-day official visit during which he held talks with Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia covering regional developments, bilateral relations, investment projects and economic partnerships. The two sides agreed to establish a supreme coordination council to enhance cooperation in various fields from politics and security, to economy, energy, trade, and investments, among others.
The Crown Prince, continuing a tour of Arab nations at the head of an official delegation that includes a number of princes and senior officials, was received late on Sunday at the Algiers airport by the Algerian premier and a number of ministers.
The Crown Prince’s talks on Monday with the Algerian Prime Minister, held at his guest residence, touched on bilateral relations in various fields as well as the latest developments in the region, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
A joint statement carried by SPA stated that the “two sides agreed to establish a supreme coordination council under co-chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defense, and Algeria’s Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, in order to enhance cooperation in the fields of politics, security, combating terrorism and extremism, economy, trade, investment, energy, mining, culture and education.”
The foreign ministers of the two countries were assigned to set up suitable mechanisms.
The supreme coordination council’s establishment came “within the framework of the distinguished brotherly relations and historical ties” between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria and upon directives of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the statement added.
Saudi Minister of Media Dr. Awwad Alawwad, in a meeting with Algerian editors-in-chief and writers on Monday, stressed the importance of Saudi-Algerian relations, which are based on firm foundations and permanent friendship. He said that the common ground between the two countries helps these relations become more distinguished.
Noting the current visit of the Crown Prince to Algeria, Alawwad said that the visit will open wider prospects of cooperation in all fields between the two countries, especially in the political and economic arenas. He also said that the visit will establish a new phase of bilateral relations at all levels.
Earlier, the Saudi Ambassador to Algeria Abdulaziz Al-Omairini said the Crown Prince’s visit stresses the deep-rooted relations between the two countries and the joint action to develop them in all fields. The ambassador said that this visit is a new start towards broad aspects of cooperation between the two countries.
The Crown Prince was continuing a recent tour of Arab countries, begun late last month. Before attending the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he headed the official Saudi delegation, the Crown Prince had visited the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Tunisia.
Earlier on Sunday, the Crown Prince had arrived in Mauritania on an official visit on his way back from the G20 summit. The visit was at the invitation of Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and under the directive of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
In the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, the Crown Prince and President Ould Abdel Aziz held an extended session of talks in the presence of the two countries’ delegations, covering bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation as well as regional and international developments.
The two leaders’ views were identical on the issues discussed, said the final communique carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
It said the two sides affirmed their firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the establishment of an independent state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab peace initiative and the relevant international resolutions.
On Yemen, the two sides affirmed their support for efforts to reach a political solution to the Yemeni crisis in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015, the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanism and the outcomes of the comprehensive Yemeni national dialogue. They also stressed their keenness on Yemen’s unity, stability and territorial integrity.
Both sides affirmed their support for the efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis as well as their keenness on the unity and integrity of the Syrian and Libyan territories.
The Saudi Minister of Media Dr. Alawwad said King Salman has issued a directive to establish the 300-bed King Salman Hospital in Nouakchott. King Salman also issued a directive to renovate King Faisal Mosque in the Mauritanian capital.
The Crown Prince and the Mauritanian President also attended the signing ceremony of three agreements and memorandums of understanding — a double taxation avoidance agreement, an MOU for cooperation in the field of water and sanitation, and an MOU in the field of wildlife.
