Algeria and Portugal.. Signing several agreements and memorandums of understanding – Algerian dialogue

A state visit of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to Portugal culminated in the signing, today, Wednesday, in Lisbon, of several agreements and memorandums of understanding covering various areas of partnership and cooperation, translating the common will of the two countries to strengthen bilateral relations to rise to the level of complete congruence between them in viewpoints on issues. regional and international.
In this context, President Tebboune supervised, on the last day of this visit, accompanied by the Portuguese Prime Minister, Mr. Antonio Costa, the signing ceremony, which included a memorandum of understanding in the field of digital governance and modernization of administration and a cultural exchange program for the period 2023-2025, as well as a declaration of intent to enhance bilateral cooperation, in addition to A memorandum of understanding related to startups and innovation.
Before that, the President of the Republic, who was accompanied by an important delegation on this visit, also supervised, accompanied by Mr. Antonio Costa, the inauguration of the work of the Algerian-Portuguese Economic Forum, which discussed opportunities for cooperation and partnership available as well as ways to give a strong impetus to economic cooperation.
In this regard, President Tebboune reviewed the great investment opportunities offered by the business climate in Algeria within the framework of the new investment law, stressing that the latter “protects the foreign investor and guarantees the stability of the legal framework regulating investment.”
On this occasion, the President of the Republic called on businessmen in the two countries to “agree on ways to enhance economic partnership within the framework of a common future in the economic field that rises to the quality of political and humanitarian relations between the two states and peoples.”
He added that the Portuguese “are well aware of the level of business climate in Algeria and carry out their activities with satisfaction,” pointing to “the positive results achieved by the Algerian economy, such as the value of exports outside the hydrocarbon sector exceeding 7 billion dollars during the past year and looking forward to reaching 13 billion dollars in the future.”
Before leaving Portugal to return to the homeland, President Tebboune visited the headquarters of the Portuguese Parliament, where he was received by Mr. Augusto Santos Silva, President of this legislative body that bears the name “The Council of the Republic”.
On the other hand, the President of the Republic announced yesterday evening, Tuesday, in a speech during the dinner hosted by the Portuguese President, Mr. Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, that the Algerian-Portuguese bilateral summit would be held in the second semester of the current year, stressing that he agreed with his counterpart The Portuguese will make 2023 a “pivotal year for the revival of major bilateral events.”
In this context, President Tebboune expressed his “certain” conviction in the “promising” prospects that must be exploited to establish a strong partnership, noting that this conviction was focused on during the “rich” talks that brought him together with the Portuguese President earlier on Tuesday.
On the occasion of this visit, the President of the Republic singled out an official and distinguished reception by his Portuguese counterpart, before holding bilateral talks that were frank and reflected the depth of relations between the two countries. Portugal on all regional and international issues, such as the situation in Libya, Mali, the Sahel, Western Sahara, the Palestinian territories and the situation in Ukraine.
He also renewed, in the same context, “Algeria’s commitment to the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborliness signed between the two countries in 2005,” noting that after a few days, the two countries will commemorate the 210th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed between the Regency of Algeria and Portugal.
Within this direction, the Portuguese president, in turn, expressed the consensus of visions and viewpoints between the two friendly countries, noting that his country’s position is “steadfast, respects and supports the role of the United Nations and its decisions on the issue of Western Sahara”, considering that the relations between the two countries are “strong”, and he also noted the role Algeria’s historic support for democracy in his country.
At the beginning of this visit, the President of the Republic had a meeting with representatives of the Algerian community in Portugal, during which he renewed “the state’s commitment to protecting Algerians abroad and opening doors for them to contribute to the development of the country,” noting the level of Algerian competencies abroad.
He also reviewed the various procedures and measures that he approved for the benefit of the community members, such as reducing the prices of airline tickets in order to ensure their continuous communication with the homeland, as well as enabling them to benefit from retirement at the level of the National Pension Fund, in addition to other incentives with the aim of “reducing the burden of being away from the homeland.”