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Italy's Meloni to Sign Several Agreements in Algeria

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra meets with US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra meets with US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
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Italy's Meloni to Sign Several Agreements in Algeria

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra meets with US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra meets with US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Algeria on Sunday for a two-day visit to boost cooperation between the two countries.

Several agreements are set to be signed between them before she concludes her trip.

Algerian ambassador to Rome Abdelkrim Touahria said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero: "We want Italy to become a European hub for Algerian gas. A junction for other EU countries."

Algeria's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva announced on its Twitter account that Meloni's talks in Algeria will focus on energy, the mechanical industry, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, and education.

Political sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the visit addressed important issues like the growing need for Algerian gas to compensate for the share of Russian gas.

Algeria replaced Russia as Italy's number one energy supplier, transporting natural gas by pipeline across the Mediterranean.

Last July, Algeria and Italy concluded a deal to supply an additional nine billion cubic meters of gas by 2023-2024, which Eni said was worth $4 billion.

The sources noted that Meloni addressed irregular migration from the southern Mediterranean to the coasts of Italy and sought Algeria's help to stop this phenomenon. Dozens of Algerians cross the sea every year to the Northern Mediterranean.

Separately, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra received US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison.

They addressed bilateral relations and prospects for strengthening strategic dialogue and economic cooperation between Algeria and the United States. They discussed regional and international developments, and multilateral diplomacy.

No further details were provided about Sison’s visit.

The US State Department said on Friday Sison was set to travel to Algeria and Morocco on January 21-26 to discuss shared multilateral priorities across the UN system, including the importance of human rights as Morocco and Algeria join the UN Human Rights Council.

In her meetings, she would underscore US support for MINURSO and United Nations Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura's efforts in leading the UN political process for the Western Sahara.

Algiers and Washington have several agreements covering various areas, including US investments in the oil fields in southern Algeria and security cooperation in combating terrorism in the Maghreb and the African coast.

Algeria had condemned a proposal by 27 members of the US Congress that called for "immediate" action to sanction the Algerian government for its involvement in the purchase of Russian arms.

The demand came in response to Algerian-Russian arrangements to sign an agreement to purchase Russian military equipment worth $11 billion.

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3 Members of Syrian Security Forces Killed in Clashes with Regime Remnants in Daraa

Defense ministry and security forces gather in Daraa’s town of al-Sanamayn.
Defense ministry and security forces gather in Daraa’s town of al-Sanamayn.
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3 Members of Syrian Security Forces Killed in Clashes with Regime Remnants in Daraa

Defense ministry and security forces gather in Daraa’s town of al-Sanamayn.
Defense ministry and security forces gather in Daraa’s town of al-Sanamayn.

Three members of the Syrian Internal Security Forces and a member of local armed groups were killed in clashes between the country’s new authorities and former military security forces affiliated with the ousted regime in the town of al-Sanamayn in the southern Daraa governorate.

Civilians, including women and children, were wounded in the unrest.

Military reinforcements arrived in the town on Wednesday morning to “raid outlawed armed groups,” a statement from Daraa authorities said, citing Internal Security official Abdul-Razzaq al-Khatib.

“The clashes remain intense in several buildings in the southwestern district of the city,” Khatib said, adding that a security officer was wounded in a direct gunfire attack on a checkpoint in the town on Tuesday.

Gunfights have been reported across Syria since the new authorities took power in Damascus on Dec. 8, with security officials blaming loyalists of the former regime for the unrest.

The authorities have launched security operations targeting what they describe as “remnants of the former regime,” leading to arrests, according to official statements.

Restoring and maintaining security across Syria remains one of the biggest challenges for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, following a devastating civil war that began in 2011 and saw multiple factions involved.

The local news outlet Daraa 24 reported that the deceased were associated with a group led by Mohsen al-Himid, a former operative of the military security branch under the Assad regime.

Al-Himid’s group had been actively involved in the clashes, making them potential targets in the ongoing cycle of retaliatory attacks and factional violence in the region.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group “considers itself above the law” and has continued to defy state authority while committing serious crimes, including murder, armed robbery, theft, kidnapping for ransom, and drug trafficking.

Residents have long called for a crackdown on such gangs, particularly since the fall of the Assad regime, in a bid to rid their communities of groups that “terrorize the population, spread corruption, and destroy society,” the sources added.

The number of outlawed armed groups still operating in parts of Daraa is small, but they continue to fuel insecurity and fear among residents, sources familiar with the situation said.

“The government is determined to restore security and stability across the governorate,” one source told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that these groups are “not factions but criminal gangs.”

Most armed factions, the source noted, have already integrated into the Ministry of Defense.

The Internal Security Forces had launched a security campaign on Feb. 20 targeting remnants of the former regime, as well as drug and arms traffickers.

The operation has also sought to confiscate illegal weapons in the Daraa towns of al-Harah and Nimr, in an effort to tighten security.