Algeria: Hungarian President wraps up his official visit to Algeria.

Algerian President Bouteflika on the left and Hungarian President on the right Today was the last day of the Hungarian president’s official visit to Algeria. Before winding up his visit, he visited early today,the “Raias” ancestral Palace or "Bastion 23" belonging to the old district of the Casbah (Algiers), classified by Unesco as part of the world cultural heritage. On the spot, Hungarian President LAszlo Solyom listened attentively to the explanations of a guide about Algeria’s history from the Phoenicians’ , Romans' and Berbers' eras to the Ottoman epoch and until the French colonisation.

It’s worth recalling that Mr. LAszlo Solyom arrived in Algeria on Saturday. During his three-day visit, he went to Ouled Moussa village in the wilaya or province of Batna (eastern Algeria), one of the most important sites in the Algerian revolution history. He also visited the house where Algerian freedom-fighters gathered to announce the outbreak of the national revolutionary struggle on November 1st, 1954 against the French colonial yoke.

The Hungarian President also went to the south where he laid a wreath on the memorial of Béla Bartók, a late Hungarian music composer. President LAszlo Solyom said on Saturday: “It’s time for both countries to enhance their ancestral relationships.” In this regard, he indicated that people in Algeria were now living in peace and stability adding Hungary had managed to settle its domestic affairs. Thus, it’s time for Algeria and Hungary to reinforce the relationships between the two countries, he said.

Furthermore,the Hungarian President confirmed that Algeria and Hungary had agreed on the signing of an agreement providing for the setting up of a joint cooperation commission. The Hungarian president said the two countries would sign "in the coming days several accords on culture and other fields including security and the police".

In a dinner banquet hosted by Algerian President Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika in honour of Mr. LAszlo Solyom, President Bouteflika stressed the necessity of a reinforcement of Algerian-Hungarian dialogue and consultation regarding all questions of common interest and bilateral cooperation. The Hungarian President was seen off on his departure from the International airport of Algiers by the head of state Mr Abdellaziz Bouteflika.

Echorouk