ALGIERS — The second day of the state visit by the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to the Republic of Slovenia, featured the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in various sectors, as well as a convergence of views between the two friendly countries on numerous issues of common interest.
In this regard, President Tebboune noted in a joint statement with his Slovenian counterpart, Natasa Pirc Musar, that there is “a total convergence” between the two countries on all issues.
He further expressed “Algeria’s willingness to meet all the gas needs of this friendly country.”
The President of the Republic affirmed that Algeria, being “a reliable country,” is “willing to meet Slovenia’s gas needs,” adding that “our country will not be affected by upcoming changes.”
He also touched upon the possibility for Slovenia to contribute to Algerian projects, particularly those related to “wastewater treatment and recycling for agriculture and industry reuse,” given Slovenia’s extensive experience in this field.
President Tebboune also commended “the courageous and sincere stances” of the Republic of Slovenia regarding the Palestinian question,” adding that Slovenia was “the first European state to recognize the State of Palestine,” hailing this step as “greatly honorable.”
Applauding Slovenia’s position on the Western Sahara issue, the President of the Republic reiterated his wish to “reach a solution under the auspices of the United Nations that enshrines the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination through the organization of a referendum.”
In this respect, he affirmed that “regardless of what might be said elsewhere, Algeria remains a peaceful state whose main concern is establishing peace in the region, across the Mediterranean and worldwide.”
“Ever since our independence, we have made consistent efforts marked by fluidity and understanding through dialogue, avoiding violence, in order to resolve several crises,” he added, pointing out that Algeria’s foreign policy is “very close to that of the Republic of Slovenia.”
For her part, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Natasa Pirc Musar, affirmed that the high-level delegation accompanying the President of the Republic in his state visit to Slovenia mirrors the “strong will” of both countries “to deepen” their bilateral relations.
She expressed her country’s position on the Palestinian question, urging the international community to “ramp up dialogue toward immediate action to halt Israeli aggressions against Gaza.”
The President of the Republic of Slovenia also reaffirmed her country’s stance on the Western Sahara issue, calling for the “right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination as part of international legality.”
In addition, the two presidents co-chaired the opening of the Algerian-Slovenian Business Forum, dedicated to examining ways to enhance economic and trade relations and exploring all available opportunities in this regard.
President Tebboune called on Algerian and Slovenian businessmen to strengthen bilateral economic and trade relations to match the level of understanding between the two countries and their good political relations.
He also highlighted Algeria’s assets, noting it is “the only African country without foreign debt, which demonstrates the strength of the Algerian economy” and serves as “clear evidence of Algeria’s sovereign and independent economic and political decision-making.”
In this regard, President Tebboune and Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob signed a Joint Declaration between the two countries and jointly chaired the signing ceremony of several agreements and MoUs.
These covered the establishment of a political consultation mechanism, police cooperation, maritime transport and peaceful space activities.
On this occasion, an MoU was signed between the Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACI) and its Solevinian counterpart, as well as another memorandum signed between the Algerian Council for Economic Renewal (CREA) and the Slovenian Public Agency for Investment and Entrepreneurship, in addition to the signing of a contract for the sale and supply of natural gas between Algeria’s Sonatrach and Slovenia’s Geoplin.
In a statement following the signing ceremony, the President of the Republic affirmed that “recent developments between the two countries will usher in new developments, especially regarding cooperation in key sectors such as higher education, heavy industries, environment, pharmaceuticals, water, space activities, medicine, AI and others.”
