Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Carmelo Abela and his Algerian counterpart Abdelkader Messahel have agreed to trigger the necessary preparations for the revival of the Malta-Algeria Joint Commission.
The joint commission, which was set up to serve as a forum for discussing cooperation between the two countries in an array of fields, last convened in 1988.
"This development is a true testimony of the importance which our two countries give to building closer collaboration," said Minister Abela. "It also demonstrates our good will to amplify commercial interaction, partnerships, and joint ventures, particularly following the exchange visits at diverse levels held in recent years. It will maintain the momentum on the enhancement of bilateral relations not only on the political and commercial level but also to improve exchanges at the technical and, more importantly, at the grassroots level."
The two ministers discussed the latest developments in the region and ways to further consolidate the relations that exist between the two countries. Their meeting was held on the margins of the 14th Ministerial Conference of the '5+5 Dialogue' of the Western Mediterranean, which was held on Sunday, 21 January, in Algiers.
During the 14th Conference, Malta was chosen to succeed France in assuming, for the next two years, the northern co-presidency of the 5+5 Dialogue. During this period, Malta will host the 15th Ministerial Conference. The last time Malta assumed this co-Presidency was back in 2005.
The 5+5 Dialogue initiative brings together five European and five African countries from the Western Mediterranean-Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya from the southern rim, and Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Malta on the northern shore, for informal dialogue amongst member countries making for a veritable laboratory of ideas in which to tackle issues such as security and stability, economic integration, and regional migration. The discussion encompasses the presence of other actors that can develop talks to a higher and more tangible level.
Aside from the foreign ministers of the ten participating states, the 14th Ministerial Conference was also attended by the European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn (representing the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission), the Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean Fathallah Sijilmassi, the Secretary-General of the Arab Maghreb Union Taieb Baccouche, and the President of the Anna Lindh Foundation Elisabeth Guigou.
The ministers' discussions focused on inclusive, shared, and sustainable economic development, youth employment, and migration. The latest developments in Libya, the Sahel, Syria, Iraq, and the Middle East, as well as terrorism and the fight against radicalisation was also on the agenda.
Minister Abela said that Malta believes the 5+5 to be an important forum for dialogue and collaboration between national governments, providing a platform for the exchange of best practices through which lessons learnt in addressing socio-economic challenges can be shared. Highlighting development assistance and the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda as important tools to reduce socio-economic disparities, he added that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda will be more successful if it takes into account the local and regional context and cultural characteristics which are particular to the Mediterranean region and to the individual countries.
Malta is working earnestly towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, Minister Abela said. Progress has already been achieved in several areas, notably those dealing with the maritime sector, where the Government has set ambitious targets which go beyond Malta's international and EU obligations. He announced that Malta will deliver its first Voluntary National Review during the 2018 High-Level Political Forum in New York, and will continue in its commitment of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
On the sidelines of the Ministerial Conference, Minister Abela met with a delegation from the Algiers Chamber of Commerce, led by its president Laid Benamour.