​Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría receives Speaker of the Council of the Nation of Algeria

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

Algeria is a strategic partner for Spain in terms of politics, energy and security and a bastion of stability in the Maghreb region. Spain has been Algeria's leading trade partner since 2013.

During the course of this meeting and as was the case at the 6th High-Level Meeting between the two governments on 21 July, the excellent health of current bilateral relations between the two countries was confirmed. The Speaker of the Council of the Nation of Algeria said that work has already begun under a number of important MOUs that were signed in July.

As regards international affairs, they discussed the situation in Libya, highlighting the need for a political solution and endorsing the support from Algeria and Spain for the national unity agreement being promoted by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Libya, Bernardino León. Furthermore, the Vice-President of the Government of Spain and the Speaker of the Council of the Nation of Algeria spoke about the progress being made on national reconciliation in Mali.

Relations between the European Union and Algeria were another topic discussed at the meeting, regarding which the two parties expressed a strong desire to further develop the gas interconnection system between the two shores of the Mediterranean. Abdelkader Bensalah underlined how important Spain's voice is within the European Union, especially regarding relations with North Africa, a region where Algeria is a key partner.

After meeting with business leaders at the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (Spanish acronym: CEOE), the Speaker of the Council of the Nation of Algeria underlined the economic recovery in Spain and the exceptional importance of trade relations between the two countries, listing the mutual benefits and their important contribution to the economic development and well-being of citizens in Algeria.