Prime Minister Golob and Algerian President Tebboune strengthen bilateral cooperation

Following an official photo session in the Grand Hall of the Presidential Palace, the two leaders held a private meeting in the Blue Salon. Prime Minister Golob and Algerian President Tebboune then signed a joint declaration between the Governments of Slovenia and Algeria. The joint declaration primarily focuses on strengthening bilateral relations and sets out the two countries' shared positions on key international foreign policy issues, including the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East — particularly Gaza.

Following the meeting, eight memoranda were signed:

• A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria on the Establishment of a Mechanism for Political Consultations;
• A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Slovenia and the Ministry of the Interior, Local Authorities and Urban Planning of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria on Police Cooperation;
• A Letter of Intent between the Ministry of Infrastructure of the Republic of Slovenia and the Ministry of Transport of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria on Cooperation in the Field of Maritime Transport;
• A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia and the Algerian Space Agency of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria on Cooperation in the Peaceful Use of Outer Space;
• A Memorandum of Understanding between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria;
• A Memorandum of Understanding between the Slovenian Public Agency for Entrepreneurship, Internationalisation, Foreign Investments and Technology and the Algerian Economic Renewal Council; and
• A contract for the supply of natural gas between Geoplin d.o.o., Ljubljana, and the Sonatrach Group.

President Tebboune's visit to Slovenia marks a continuation of the cooperation that was established during Prime Minister Golob's official visit to Algeria last year.

Addressing the press, Prime Minister Golob expressed his great satisfaction with President Tebboune's state visit. "This is an exceptionally important visit  — not only because of the future potential enabled by today's signed agreements, but also because, in difficult times when Europe faced an energy crisis, Slovenia rediscovered a great friend in Algeria," he stated. "This gives me great satisfaction and reaffirms my confidence that our excellent cooperation will continue. Today marks an important step forward, as the President and I have signed a declaration to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation," he added, noting that several significant and concrete agreements had been signed during the visit. 

During their bilateral discussions, the two leaders also expressed their willingness to expand future cooperation to include education, research and water management. "I am pleased that, during my first visit to Algiers, we opened our embassy there, subsequently reciprocated by Algeria's opening of their embassy in Ljubljana," the Prime Minister noted, acknowledging the diplomatic efforts of both nations' ambassadors.

Prime Minister Golob further noted that President Tebboune and he shared very similar views on the situation in the Middle East. "Both Algeria and Slovenia advocate an immediate ceasefire and urgent humanitarian access for the people of Gaza," said the Prime Minister. He urged the Israeli Government, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, to do everything in its power to end hostilities immediately and open humanitarian corridors into Gaza. While welcoming the recent release of hostages, he stressed: "We sincerely hope that the Palestinian people will finally be able to exercise their right to self-determination. We believe that the United Nations is an institution that ensures not only international peace but also upholds universal rules that apply equally to all nations around the world, regardless of their power or size. This principle is the foundation of our commitment to resolving conflicts within the United Nations framework" concluded Prime Minister Golob.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stated that Slovenia and Algeria are negotiating cooperation in several areas, including pharmaceuticals, artificial intelligence, water management and space technology. He added that Slovenia has specific expertise in water-related matters, and expressed his confidence that the two friendly nations would extend their cooperation to include space technologies and the monitoring of water resources from space. He thanked Prime Minister Golob for arranging the meeting.

"Today's meeting is important to deliver on everything that has been agreed. Our countries' relations are not limited to agreements and memorandums alone, and I am confident that future meetings will yield new, concrete results. This includes cooperation between universities and across sectors, such as the pharmaceutical industry," said President Tebboune.

"We also discussed Palestine and the Palestinian issue. I would like to thank Slovenia for its ethical and moral stance," he said, emphasising the excellent relations between the two countries and thanking Prime Minister Golob once again for arranging today's meeting.