Tunisia president says ties with Algeria have positive impact on region

"Privileged and excellent" relations between Tunisia and Algeria have positive impact on the region, said visiting Tunisian President Beji Caïd Essebsi here on Thursday.

"My visit to Algeria has been excellent in all levels, and I'm heading back home very satisfied about the our bilateral relations," Beji Caïd Essebsi told reporters following the talks he held with his counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algiers.

He specified that this is his fourth visit to Algeria, saying "this visit is better than the previous one, in terms of understanding and outcomes."

President Essebsi further added that the privileged and exceptional bilateral relations have positive impact on the stability of the region.

The newly elected Tunisian president noted that the relations "confirms clearly that the security of Tunisia and Algeria are intimately linked," noting that his talks with Algerian officials revealed that the two neighboring nations share convergent views.

Beji Caïd Essebsi also announced that the 20th meeting of the bilateral High Joint-Committee will be held in the coming days in Algeria.

Trade exchange between the two countries increased in 2013 by 19 percent to 1.7 billion U.S. dollars compared to 2012, making Algeria the largest Arab and African partner of Tunisia.

The two neighboring nations have also been stepping up intelligence and military coordination to track down terrorist groups, following the killing of 12 Tunisian troops later 2013. Endit