In a speech delivered on the occasion, Mr. Attaf affirmed that in light of the "valuable conclusions" that sanctioned the work of this commission and the convergence of political views highlighted during the talks he had on Monday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Hakan Fidan, this session "achieved all its expected objectives par excellence."
This session "once again testifies to the wise decision taken by the leaders of the two brotherly countries, the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his brother President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to establish this Planning Commission as an institutional space bringing together the most important ministerial departments and the national authorities concerned with the aim of addressing common priorities and smoothing out any difficulties likely to hinder their realization within the framework of the Algerian-Turkish partnership," Mr. Attaf stressed.
read also: Algeria and Turkey linked by "comprehensive and complementary" relations
The Minister considered that the choice of sectors participating in the work of this session "was very successful", especially since "we managed to carry out an overall assessment of the progress in implementing the decisions taken by the presidents of the two countries, while highlighting the achievements made in order to better prepare the next steps in order to achieve the objectives set within the given timeframe."
"We must realize that the Algerian-Turkish partnership now has an integral strategic character that cannot be minimized or devalued," adding that Algeria "is today Turkey's leading trading partner in Africa, while Turkey, for its part, has succeeded in establishing itself with merit and brilliance as the leading foreign investor in Algeria outside the hydrocarbon sector."
Following the rich discussions that marked today's work, the figures recorded in this framework, he affirmed, "are expected to increase in the near and immediate future," taking into account several elements, such as the numerous joint investment projects, particularly in the fields of energy and Saharan agriculture, whose production phases will be launched "soon," in addition to the results of the expansion of Turkish investments in the iron and steel, steel and textile sectors.
He also highlighted the efforts made to enrich the legal framework governing economic and trade relations between the two countries, in particular the draft preferential trade agreement and the one relating to the mutual protection of investments", in addition to the "immense opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which recently entered into force and is considered the largest free trade area in the world in terms of the number of participating and committed States".
What characterizes the Algerian-Turkish partnership, beyond all these economic and commercial issues, "is, without a doubt, its global nature and the interest it has in human resources and human dimensions, in general."
The minister also welcomed "the practical steps initiated by both parties to implement the decisions taken by the leaders of the two countries, with a view to opening two cultural centers (an Algerian cultural center in Turkey and a Turkish cultural center in Algeria), in addition to the project of the Turkish International School in Algeria," welcoming all the projects that both parties are working to "implement in the fields of education, higher education and scientific research, as well as in areas related to tourism."
For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan indicated that "bilateral cooperation in all fields" is progressing exceptionally well, noting the existence of other major opportunities in the fields of energy and health.
Noting the existence of "21 texts ready to be signed between the two parties", the Turkish minister hoped that the two parties could "complete the negotiation operation concerning as many texts as possible until the holding of a meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSC)".
The Turkish official also welcomed "the great efforts made by both parties at the level of the joint committee, particularly with regard to the legislative aspect."