Meloni and Tebboune said relations between Algeria and Italy have ‘never been more special’ amid their meeting in Rome on Wednesday [Getty/file photo]
Italian Prime Giorgia Meloni said Rome’s ties with Algeria have “never been so special” as she hosted the North African country’s leader on Wednesday for an economic summit marked by pomp.
Algeria has become Italy’s main gas supplier since Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion, which forced Rome to diversify its energy sources.
Meloni and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune signed a series of deals further boosting their friendship.
The Italian leader said the agreements “allow us to affirm that the friendship between our nations, an ancient and solid friendship, has never been special.”
She added that ties had “reached a level of intensity and solidity that has never been achieved in the past”.
Meloni said “around 40 deals” were signed, without revealing their details but specifying that “energy is one of the strongest areas of our cooperation”.
Earlier this month, Algeria’s state-run hydrocarbon company Sonatrach and the Italian energy company Eni signed a $1.35 billion contract.
“Italy aims to become a hub, a gateway for energy to Europe, and obviously this is a goal that we could not achieve without Algeria’s valuable cooperation,” Meloni said.
Tebboune said the summit showed a “firm political will to strengthen our historic bilateral relations”.
His visit to Rome came as Algiers’ ties with Italy’s neighbour France have sunk to lows unseen in years.
Meloni greeted Tebboune at Rome’s Villa Doria Pamphili, with Italian guards playing the Italian and Algerian national anthems.
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