European Council: Algeria 'reliable' energy supplier
Europe looks to Algeria to fill the gaps in its energy crisis.
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European Council President Charles Michel (Reuters)
Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, asserted that Algeria is a "reliable" energy supplier during a visit to Algiers as Europe struggles with an energy crisis.
"Given the international circumstances that we're all aware of, energy cooperation is obviously essential, and we see Algeria as a reliable, loyal, and committed partner in the field of energy cooperation," Michel said after meeting President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Europe has been keeping an eye on Algeria, which is the African continent's biggest exporter of gas. The situation grows increasingly desperate as Russia announces the halting of gas supply to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline just weeks before Autumn.
Before the war in Ukraine, Algeria accounted for 11% of Europe's gas exports, whereas Russia accounted for 47%.
Algeria, with this reality, has been seeing a surge in European visitors for some energy.
At the end of last month, French President Emmanuel Macron made his way to Algiers to make nice, and polish France's image as a colonizer, and also to request Algerian energy to Europe.
Read more: Macron visit to rebuild ties with Algeria raises colonial history
In July, Italian energy company Eni, US' Occidental, France's Total, and Algeria's Sonatrach signed a $4 billion oil and gas production contract that would supply Italy with "significant volumes of natural gas."
In addition, Algeria also promised to boost gas deliveries to Italy through the undersea Transmed pipeline by the end of 2022.
Read next: Algeria hosts tripartite meeting on Trans-Saharan gas pipeline project
