Iran, Algeria to expand ties, ease visa requirements

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Saturday that relations with Algeria are “on the right track” with both countries reaching an agreement to ease visa requirements.

Addressing a joint press conference with his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Altaf in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian described talks with the visiting official as “good and fruitful.”

He said the two sides agreed to annul political visas in the first step, followed by normal travel visas.

He added that the two sides expressed willingness to expand cooperation in the fields of science and technology, agriculture, medicine and medical equipment, tourism, industry and mining.

The two countries also reached a consensus on holding a joint commission meeting at the level of vice presidents and foreign ministers to follow up on these agreements, Amir-Abdollahian said.

Talks between the two ministers also dwelt on the unrest in Sudan, with Iran’s top diplomat terming it a “common concern” for both Tehran and Algiers. He underlined the need to restore a cease-fire in the crisis-hit country.

Amir-Abdollahian said Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will be participating in the meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Algeria, which he said will provide an opportunity for the top officials of the two countries to meet and hold talks.

The top Algerian diplomat’s visit to Iran came days after Raisi and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune discussed plans to bolster bilateral relations in a phone call.

Raisi underscored Iran’s determination to develop relations with Algeria, especially in the commercial and economic fields. He also congratulated Algeria on its Independence Day, which falls on July 5.

Iranian-Algerian relations have been marked by ups and downs since the 1979 revolution in Iran, with tensions reaching the climax in the mid-1990s and the two sides even severing diplomatic ties.

In the early 2000s, the two countries started warming up to each other again, but stability in diplomatic ties between them has been eluding.