Malian president visits Algeria to boost bilateral ties

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Sunday kicked off a three-day official visit to Algeria at the invitation of his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Upon his arrival at Houari Boumediene international airport of Algiers, President Keita was welcomed by the speaker of the People's National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament), Larbi Ould Khelifa.

"The visit will boost the long standing relations of fraternity, solidarity, cooperation and neighborhood between Algeria and Mali," APS news agency quoted a statement of the President Office as saying.

Keita and Bouteflika will meet to discuss some regional and international issues of common interests, including the implementation of Algiers accord on peace and reconciliation in Mali, added the source.

The bilateral relations saw a remarkable progress in recent years, especially after Algeria led an international mediation to bring back peace and stability in Mali.

Algeria also hosted rounds of peace talks between Malian warrant parties in the last two years, which concluded in the signing of Algiers Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation, in May.

The two neighboring countries established a bilateral committee to follow up the implementation of decisions related to the peaceful settlement of the conflict in northern Mali.

The two countries also cooperate in the fight against terrorism, in addition in securing the border and developing the areas located near the shared borderline.

Source: XINHUA