Belani receives UK’s Armed Forces Minister

 
ALGIERS-The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Amar Belani received Sunday at the headquarters of the Ministry, the United Kingdom’s Minister of State for Armed Forces and Veterans, and Member of Parliament, James Stephen Heappey, who is visiting Algeria, said the ministry in a statement.
The two officials “had in-depth discussions on the state of British-Algerian relations and ways to strengthen and raise them to levels reflecting the capabilities and ambitions of the two friendly countries.”
According to the statement, "the Algeria-UK consultations focused on cooperation between the two countries in the security field. The two parties welcomed the successful bilateral coordination in this sensitive area, and expressed their willingness to develop and expand in the future, especially in light of the major challenges imposed by the vulnerable and unstable security situation in the Sahel region.”
The Algeria-UK talks focused on several regional and international issues of common interest, including the situation in Libya, Mali, and the Sahel region in general.
In this regard, "the British high-level official commended Algeria’s significant efforts to restore stability and security in Mali and Libya, expressing the strong interest of his country in the Algerian inclusive approach to achieving security in the Sahel region.
He also expressed the willingness of his country to boost cooperation and coordination with Algeria and all relevant international partners to implement this approach, which can restore stability and security and raise the level of development in this sensitive region.
Regarding the issue of Western Sahara, the Algerian and British officials "emphasized their support for the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Staffan De Mistura, to encourage the two parties to the conflict to revive the negotiation process with the aim of achieving a permanent and mutually acceptable political solution, ensuring the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, in accordance with the principles of international legality.”