Algeria Stresses the Importance of Strengthening South-South Cooperation
ALGIERS – Sofiane Chaib, Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of the National Community Abroad, emphasized from Awaza (Turkmenistan) the importance of developing South-South cooperation as a vital element in implementing efforts and initiatives to meet the challenges facing developing countries, according to a statement released Thursday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Community Abroad, and African Affairs.
“The Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in charge of the National Community Abroad, Sofiane Chaib, participated on the sidelines of the 3rd United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in a ministerial meeting under the theme: ‘Leveraging South-South Cooperation to Deepen Regional Integration through Trade Facilitation and Strengthen the Participation of Landlocked Developing Countries in International Trade,’” the statement read.
In a speech delivered on the occasion, Mr. Chaib stressed “the importance of developing South-South cooperation as a key factor in the realization of efforts and initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges faced by developing countries using their own resources,” adding that this approach “is one of the core foundations of Algeria’s foreign policy in line with the orientations of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune,” the statement added.
Mr. Chaib affirmed that “Algeria’s strong belief in the need to enhance South-South cooperation has materialized in the creation of an Agency for International Cooperation for Solidarity and Development, aimed at supporting basic infrastructure and development projects in several African countries, particularly LLDCs.”
He further underlined that South-South cooperation alone “is not sufficient to overcome the various obstacles and constraints burdening these countries,” calling for “the promotion of bold and practical international cooperation frameworks through which developed countries would fulfill their responsibilities and commitments towards this group to help address major challenges related to food security, climate change, and energy,” the statement continued.
The Secretary of State welcomed the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as an “essential framework to inject new momentum into South-South cooperation,” as well as the establishment of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), whose forum is currently chaired by Algeria, and the launch of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), describing them as “mechanisms to strengthen governance, economic development, and sustainable development, and as African solutions to African problems.”
