July 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, announced on Monday during his visit to Algiers the acquisition of 4,000 million cubic meters of Algerian natural gas.
“In recent days, the Algerian company Sonatrach has announced the next delivery of 4,000 million cubic meters of gas to Italy as part of the agreement signed with Eni in April,” Draghi said, according to the Italian press.
This delivery represents an “acceleration” with respect to what was previously planned and anticipates “even more important supplies in the coming years”, the Italian president stressed after meeting for two hours with the Algerian president, Abdelmayid Tebune.
For the Italian president, this visit “has confirmed our privileged partnership in the energy sector.” “In recent months, Algeria has become the main supplier of gas to our country,” he stressed.
Tebune himself has clarified that the agreement on gas will be formalized this Tuesday. “There will be a very important agreement between Eni, Total and Occidental”, he indicated.
Draghi thus highlighted that “the friendship between Italy and Algeria is essential to meet the challenges we face, from regional crises to the energy transition”. “We want to continue working together for the prosperity of our companies and our citizens, for the future of the Mediterranean”, he stressed.
The governments of Italy and Algeria have signed, taking advantage of the visit, 15 agreements and memorandums of understanding on energy or the fight against corruption, public works or radicalization in prisons, among others. Draghi was accompanied by the foreign ministers, Luigi Di Maio; Inside, Luciana Lamorgese; Justice, Marta Cartabia; Ecological Transition, Robert Cingolani; and Infrastructure, Enrico Giovanni, who have stamped their signatures on the agreements reached during the day, later signed by Draghi and Tebune.
The Italian prime minister, who resigned last week in the midst of a political crisis –although his decision was rejected by the president, Sergio Mattarella–, has traveled to the African country, to try to reinforce the agreements at the energy level and an increase in the delivery of gas by Algiers in the face of the impact of the war in Ukraine and the sanctions on Russia on supply.
The war in Ukraine has made Algeria the axis of European energy policy and has also led to agreements with the French company Engie, which is adding to the supply through Spain, although Algiers has already stated its intention to turn its strategy to the detriment of Spain, which Algeria reproaches for its change to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara, since the Saharawi independence fighters are allies of Algiers.
So far this year, Algeria has delivered 13.9 billion cubic meters to Italy, which is 113 percent more than the planned volume of gas.
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