TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi held talks with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia on Tuesday in Algiers, exchanging views about bilateral ties and international issues.

Bouteflika and Salehi in their meeting discussed the latest regional and international issues including developments in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, and the uprisings against the governments in the Middle East and North Africa.
Many Arab and African countries including Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Yemen have been the scene of anti-government protests over the past month, leading to major political changes in these countries.
The two officials also explored ways for the enhancement of bilateral ties and highlighted the importance of consultations and negotiations between the two countries’ officials to pave the way for expansion of relations.
Bouteflika described Tehran-Algiers ties as important and strategic and expressed hope that a joint cooperation fund would be set up in the near future to facilitate bilateral trade.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Algerian president praised Iran’s relationship with its neighbors and other regional countries, saying it shows that Iran is honestly seeking to establish ties with regional states based on the principle of good-neighborliness.
The Iranian foreign minister, for his part, said Tehran and Algiers enjoy a close and strong relationship because they share common stances on regional and international issues.
In a separate meeting with Salehi, Ouyahia said that Algeria is willing to use Iran’s experiences in the areas of science and technology.
“Fortunately, Iran has made great strides in developing science and technology, and we are willing to use Iran’s experiences,” he said.
The Algerian prime minister also pointed to Iran’s nuclear program and said, “We have always stood with you and believe that the application of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is the Islamic Republic’s right.”
Salehi also said that Iran is ready to cooperate with Algeria in political, economic, commercial, cultural and scientific areas and called for efforts to remove all obstacles in the way of promoting ties.