Ankara: Trkiye and Algeria signed 13 agreements on Thursday, expanding cooperation across multiple sectors including trade, transportation, media, disaster management, and industrial cooperation. The agreements were signed in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during their talks in Ankara and the inaugural meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. The two leaders also signed a joint declaration marking the council's first meeting.
According to Anadolu Agency, the agreements aim to strengthen bilateral relations and cover a range of areas. These include cooperation in postal services and telecommunications, international passenger and freight transport, welfare support for independence veterans and families of martyrs, mutual recognition and exchange of driver's licenses, and disaster and emergency management.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in postal services and telecommunications. Additionally, Fidan and Algerian Interior, Local Authorities and Transport Minister Said Sayoud signed an agreement on international passenger and goods transportation.
Turkish Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas and Attaf signed a memorandum on welfare support for independence veterans and relatives of martyrs. Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci and Sayoud signed agreements on mutual recognition and exchange of driver's licenses, as well as cooperation in disaster and emergency management.
Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir and Algerian Industry Minister Yahia Bachir signed memorandums on industrial cooperation and collaboration in standardization, conformity assessment, and training. Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli and Algerian Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries Minister Yacine El-Mahdi Oualid signed an agreement on cooperation in plant protection and plant quarantine.
The agreements also included a declaration by Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat and Algerian Minister of Foreign Trade and Export Promotion Kamel Rezig to launch negotiations for a preferential trade agreement between the two countries. A memorandum on cooperation in combating disinformation in the media was signed by Turkish Communications Director Burhanettin Duran and Attaf.
Furthermore, Turkish Investment and Finance Office President Ahmet Burak Daglioglu and Algerian Investment Promotion Agency Director General Omar Rekkache signed a memorandum on investment promotion cooperation. Separate memorandums of understanding on television and radio cooperation were signed between Algeria's public broadcasting organization, EPRS, and Turkish public broadcaster TRT, represented by TRT Director General Zahid Sobaci and Algeria's Ambassador to Trkiye Boumediene Guennad.