Minister of Trade and Export Development, Kalthoum Ben Rejeb, stressed the need to strengthen the preferential trade agreement between Algeria and Tunisia and to reinforce bilateral cooperation between the two countries on the basis of a comprehensive and complementary framework inspired by agreements and memoranda of understanding.
During the 5th meeting of the Tunisian-Algerian joint committee for trade monitoring, Ben Rejeb underscored the importance of finding ways to boost economic relations, especially as bilateral trade is still low despite the legal framework governing these trade relations, according to a statement from the ministry.
She stressed the need to promote trade, facilitate the free movement of goods, overcome difficulties, simplify technical administrative procedures, strengthen bilateral cooperation mechanisms and monitor the various joint projects.
Ben Rejeb called for the re-establishment of the Tunisian-Algerian Joint Chamber of Commerce in view of its role in ensuring the continuity of networking between economic operators in the two countries and encouraging businessmen from both countries to cooperate more closely in order to boost investment and increase trade.
For his part, Algerian Minister of Trade and Export Promotion, Tayeb Zitouni, noted that the holding of this meeting, in the context of this delicate regional and international situation, aims to give concrete expression to the political will of the two countries, which reflects the depth of bilateral relations.
He underlined the interest that his country attaches to promoting economic and trade relations, all the more so as Tunisia is Algeria’s second economic partner in Africa.
He pointed out that the volume of trade between Algeria and Tunisia reached $975.67 million in the first half of 2023, compared to $1620.57 million in 2022.
The two parties stressed that the holding of this committee meeting, after a six-year hiatus, is an opportunity to broaden consultations and exchanges on ways to strengthen economic and trade relations and examine the difficulties that impede the access of goods to world and African markets, particularly promising markets.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse