President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Thursday, in Rome, put forward the desire of Algeria and Italy to develop bilateral cooperation in energy and other economic sectors.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, at the end of their talks at the Presidential Palace, President Tebboune stated that in terms of energy, “we remain committed and willing to meet Italy’s demand.
The Head of State, who noted the existence of an “organic link” between the two countries in the energy field, mentioned the possibility of developing this cooperation by carrying out joint exploration between Sonatrach and ENI. “Any surplus in production should be directed, depending on demand, to Italy, a friendly country that could become a distributor for Europe,” he said.
He added that a proposal had been made for the construction of a submarine cable between Algeria and Italy, via which the supply of electrical energy would be directed to Italy and could even be extended to part of Europe.
Regarding renewable energies, the Head of State announced the start of production of solar panels, by both countries, in the wilaya of Sidi Bel-Abbes and many others products by two Algerian and Italian companies.
Referring to a common desire of both countries to produce green hydrogen and export it to Italy, President Tebboune said that “the prospects are open for (Algerian) start-ups that can benefit from the Italian experience and collaborate with their Italian counterparts in the industrial field”.
President Tebboune also expressed the wish to launch with “Italy, a friendly country” a cooperation in the field of civil or military shipbuilding, in addition to other prospects.
The President of the Republic confirmed the existence of open perspectives with Italy without “any barriers”, with Algeria’s commitment to “maintain the friendship that links the two countries by all means”.
Mr Tebboune arrived in Rome on Wednesday for a three-day state visit to Italy at the invitation of his Italian counterpart.
APS 26/05/2022
