Tunis: Speaker of the Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP) Brahim Bouderbala and Speaker of the Algerian People’s National Assembly Ibrahim Boughali, on an official visit in Tunis, on Friday affirmed the convergence of views and visions between the two countries on various regional and international issues.
During a press conference at the Bardo Palace with the President of the Algerian Parliament, Bouderbala stated that ‘meetings at the level of leaders or legislative institutions are not enough; it is necessary to establish horizontal cooperation between the two brotherly peoples.’
He pointed out that to achieve this, it is necessary to iron out all the difficulties, notably the administrative laws that prevent this convergence, considering that this is the responsibility of the Tunisian and Algerian parliaments, which will work to achieve this.
He recalled, in this regard, ‘the need to further foster bilateral relations in all economic, cultural, social and academic fields, especially as there is
harmony in the positions of the two countries’ leaders.’
The two countries share a border more than 900 km long, he said, ‘and this border must be a meeting point, a place for cooperation and for building a shared destiny for future generations.
‘We are one people living in two countries,’ Bouderbala indicated, adding that ‘international changes compel us to consider our future with a unified vision.’
With regard to the Libyan issue, the ARP speaker underlined that Tunisia and Algeria share the same stance, stressing the need to reach an inter-Libyan solution without foreign interference.
He considered that there is no doubt that the Algerian-Tunisian-Libyan meeting will be promising and will have a regional and international bearing, and that it is necessary to work with the utmost determination to achieve these shared visions, in the hope that ‘our brothers in Libya will adopt positive positions with regard to internal problems.’
With regard to the Palestinian cause, Bouderbala recalled the convergence
of positions between the two countries, which unconditionally support the Palestinians’ struggle to recover their right to self-determination and establish their independent State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
He hailed in this connection, “the Palestinian resistance and the resilience of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank in the face of the barbaric war machine of the Zionist entity, which has committed the most heinous crimes in history.”
He condemned the ‘silence’ of the West in response to these crimes, deploring the position of the US Congress, which welcomed and applauded the representative of the Zionist entity.
Taking the floor, Speaker of the Algerian People’s National Assembly Ibrahim Boughali commended the level reached by bilateral relations, recalling the success of the 22nd session of the Tunisian-Algerian High Joint Commission held in 2023 in Algiers, with the signing of 26 cooperation agreements in various fields.
He voiced wish that the forthcoming presidential elec
tion in Algeria and Tunisia would be a success and would thus contribute to strengthening the democratic edifice and institutions in the two countries, boosting investment, economic partnership and trade, and consolidating coordination and cooperation to meet the challenges facing the two countries.’
Brahim Boughali also hailed the level of parliamentary exchanges between the two legislative institutions and their willingness to carry on consultations and activate the various frameworks for cooperation through the implementation of the parliamentary cooperation protocol concluded between the two institutions during the visit of the ARP President to Algeria last October.
He recalled that this meeting had provided an opportunity to discuss the recommendations of the first consultative meeting of the leaders of Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, held last April in Tunis, in particular with regard to developments in the situation in Libya and the measures taken to enhance the various forms of cooperation between the t
hree countries.
A number of other issues had also been discussed at the meeting, notably the situation in the Arab world and in the Sahel region, as well as the conflicts in many regions, which require that priority be given to dialogue and consultation, he considered.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse