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Algerian, French senates ink cooperation agreement

Xinhua, September 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Algerian and French senates Tuesday signed a parliamentary Memorandum of Cooperation in Algiers, as part of a four-day visit by the speaker of the French Senate to Algeria, Gerard Larcher.

The document "will enable the two parliamentary institutions to establish political exchanges," Larcher told reporters following the signing ceremony.

Larchar Tuesday kicked off a four-day visit to Algeria at the invitation of his Algerian counterpart.

For his part, the speaker of the Algerian Council of the Nation, Abdelkader Bensalah, stated that this memorandum of cooperation accompanies agreements signed between Algiers and Paris and further strengthens Algerian-French cooperation.

Bensalah expressed the availability of the Algerian Upper House of Parliament to "further reconciliation and cooperation between the two countries and their institutions."

The two parliamentary officials held talks before the signing of the document. Following their meeting, Bensalah told reporters that they agreed on "the need to accompany parliamentarians from both countries for efforts on political and diplomatic levels."

Larchar said he wanted his first visit outside Europe to be to Algeria, given "the importance of this country and the regional role it plays."

The two parties discussed the situation in both the Maghreb and Sahel regions, whilst the French Senate hailed Algeria's efforts in solving the Malian crisis.

Regarding global terrorism the two officials called on "the need to consolidate the international community's efforts to eliminate this pestilence."

French Senate speaker was received by Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal late Tuesday.

The two officials discussed "bilateral relations, and agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation in all sectors," according to a statement from the Prime Minister's office, cited by APS news agency.

They further called upon the Senate's Algerian-French Parliamentary Friendship Group to develop parliamentary diplomacy, in accordance with the two governments' policies concerning Algerian-French relations," added the source.

Sellal and Larcher also exchanged views on a number of international and regional issues, the source added. Endit