Speaking in a joint press conference with his counterpart, the President of the Republic of India, Droupadi Murmu, following their talks held at the headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic, the President of the Republic said: “I once again welcome the president of the friendly State of India, who is on a State visit to Algeria and this is the first time that Algeria has hosted a President of the Republic of India, after having hosted its Prime Ministers.”

During this visit, “we had intense discussions in which we discussed bilateral cooperation and its development prospects, as well as topical regional and international issues,” he said.

Regarding bilateral relations, it was agreed to “raise the level of economic cooperation and encourage investment and trading, as well as to prepare, as soon as possible, for the holding of the Joint Cooperation Commission and of the political consultation mechanism, as part of the efforts to strengthen relations and deepen the bilateral partnership, particularly through meetings of businessmen and the strengthening of cooperation frameworks by enriching the legal framework, coordination and consultation,” he said.

The President of the Republic said that he had “a long and in-depth discussions dictated by the current particular and exceptional situation at the regional and international levels” with his Indian counterpart, and discussed “several issues, including the Middle East issue in all its dimensions, and its repercussions, particularly the aggression against the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, its catastrophic humanitarian impact and its serious consequences on security and peace in the Middle East and the world.”

In this respect, the President of the Republic affirmed that he agreed with the President of India to “intensify coordination and consultation, and to reaffirm the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent State.”

Regarding the situation in Ukraine, the President of the Republic emphasized “the importance of complying with the international law and adhering to the objectives, principles and Charter of the United Nations.”

The President of the Republic said that he agreed with his Indian counterpart to “follow the conclusions of the Security Council regarding the issue of the Western Sahara,” adding that “as for the worrying developments in the Sahel region, we expressed our willingness to continue supporting peace, security and development efforts in the region to help the concerned countries overcome the political, security and environmental challenges they are facing.”

“For each of these issues, we noted a convergence of views, and agreed to continue our joint efforts to contribute to the establishment of security and stability, both in this region and in other parts of the world facing crises that threaten international peace and security”, he emphasized.

In this regard, the President of the Republic said he is pleased to “meet the President of the Republic of India and to broach the common history and India's support to Algeria's membership in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) during the Bandung Conference in 1955,” praising India's support to the Algerian Revolution through the opening of the office of the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic (GPRA) in New Delhi and the establishment of diplomatic relations before the proclamation of Algeria's independence on 5 July  1962.

Finally, the President of the Republic affirmed that the two countries “will restore their consultations as in the past, being active countries in the NAM.”