Charged by the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the Minister of the Interior, Local Authorities, and Transport, Saïd Sayoud, carried out a working visit to Italy at the head of an important delegation, including in particular the Director General of National Security, Ali Badaoui, in a context marked by the common will to deepen bilateral cooperation in several strategic areas. This is what a ministry statement indicated on Thursday.
Begun at the invitation of the Italian Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, this official mission “fits into the framework of strengthening the Algerian-Italian partnership and developing coordination and cooperation mechanisms in security and technical fields of common interest,” the same source specifies.
It also reflects the upward dynamic in relations between Algeria and Italy, called upon to intensify their coordination in the face of common challenges marking the Mediterranean area, particularly in security, migration, and natural disaster risk management fields.
During an expanded working session bringing together Sayoud and his Italian counterpart, the two parties examined “the means to strengthen cooperation between Algeria and Italy, particularly in areas related to security and coordination between the competent authorities in both countries.”
The discussions allowed for a review of “several axes of common interest,” reflecting the convergence of views between Algiers and Rome on the need to intensify security cooperation in a regional context marked by the rapid evolution of transnational threats.
Among the topics addressed is the fight against cybercrime. The two parties thus discussed “the means to benefit from Italian experience in combating cybercrime,” a field that has become central in contemporary security strategies, in light of the rise in digital attacks and criminal networks operating in cyberspace.
The talks also focused on the phenomenon of irregular migration, which constitutes one of the major challenges facing countries on the southern and northern shores of the Mediterranean.
In this regard, the discussions emphasized “strengthening coordination to address the phenomenon of clandestine migration,” in an approach based on consultation and operational cooperation between the relevant institutions of the two countries.
In the same spirit, the Algerian and Italian officials highlighted the importance of “intensifying police cooperation and exchanging expertise between the security organs of the two countries,” in order to consolidate mechanisms for combating various forms of cross-border crime.
This cooperation, set to be further strengthened, should notably translate into the development of technical exchanges, specialized training, and coordination mechanisms between competent services.
Beyond strictly security issues, cooperation in the field of Civil Protection held an important place in the discussions between the two parties.
The officials thus examined “the means to strengthen cooperation in this area, particularly through the organization of training cycles and the exchange of expertise in preventing and combating forest fires.”
This approach aims to “contribute to developing intervention and response capacities to various risks,” particularly in a context marked by the multiplication of natural disasters and the resurgence of forest fires in the Mediterranean area.
It should be noted that through this official visit, Algeria and Italy thus reaffirm their willingness to consolidate a multidimensional strategic partnership, illustrating the growing place occupied by coordination between the two shores of the Mediterranean in managing contemporary challenges.