ALGIERS, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Algeria and the European Union (EU) are due to hold a high level meeting on October in Brussels to develop joint mechanism to combat terrorism, Algerian Foreign Minister, Abdelkader Messahel, said on Thursday in Algiers after receiving visiting EU Commissioner for the Neighborhood Policy and Expansion Negotiations, Johannes Hahn who pays a three-day visit to Algeria.
"As part of the fight against terrorism, Algeria and the EU are due to develop a joint mechanism during a meeting that is due next October in Brussels," Messahel told reporters.
The top Algerian diplomat added that he discussed with the EU official bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism, and "I presented Algeria's experience in dealing with extremism and national reconciliation."
Messahel added that he assessed with his European guest assessed " satisfying bilateral relations, mostly as the EU is Algeria's top economic partner," adding that the meeting was also an opportunity to discuss ways and means of "intensifying, diversifying and expanding" cooperation, especially in the economic field.
"I have also presented the government's view on the president's efforts to support democracy and freedoms in Algeria," Messahel said.
Furthermore, the two parties discussed the situation in the region, including the crisis hitting Libya, "where Algeria is working together with the EU and the UN to reach a political solution."
The crisis in Mali was also in the agenda of the meeting as Messahel hailed the positive role of the EU in terms of contributing in the Bamako Peace Agreement and its assistance to economic programs there.
For his part, The EU official said "We have listened to Algeria's experience on the situation in the region, especially Libya," Hahn said, adding that "joint cooperation in combating terrorism and countering extremism is important for Algeria and the European Union."
He further hailed the cooperation between Algeria as "close," adding that his talks with Messahel were an opportunity to address a "wide range" of economic issues including energy cooperation.
Hahn said he will be discussing with Algerian top officials ways and means of implementing the conclusions of the joint evaluation of the Association Agreement, particularly in terms of diversifying Algerian economy and helping it developing productive investments and promoting non-hydrocarbon exports.
The EU official added that the two parties agreed "to continue and deepen their discussions on regional issues of common interest, as well as those relating to migration and movement of people in addition to the dialogue in the field of the fight against terrorism and regional security."
During the 10th EU-Algeria Association Council held on March 13, the two parties adopted joint partnership priorities in a bid to give their bilateral partnership a new impetus amid new emerging challenges.
Algeria has been calling the EU to review what it deemed as "unbalanced" Association Agreement inked in Sept. 2005, as its non-oil exports to the European bloc did not go beyond the limit of 14 billion U.S. dollars in ten years, while its total imports from the bloc hit 220 billion U.S. dollars.
