NIAMEY, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The Niger-Algeria High Joint Commission for Cooperation has concluded its second session held in the Nigerien capital with the signing of wide-ranging agreements and memorandums of understanding to lift cooperation to a higher level.
The two-day session was opened Monday by Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, in the presence of his Algerian counterpart, Sifi Ghrieb, who led the Algerian delegation.
The cooperation agreements cover areas such as health, agriculture, infrastructure, vocational training, higher education, new energy, youth and sports, communication and innovation.
They vowed to elevate partnership to a higher strategic level, prioritizing security cooperation to secure coordinated efforts in combating terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organized crime, and the development of economic and trade relations, which are expected to be advanced by outcomes of a sideline economic forum during the joint commission session.
Both sides agreed to accelerate major cross-border projects, notably the Trans-Saharan Highway, fiber optic connections, and the Trans-Saharan gas pipeline, seen as key drivers of regional economic integration. ■
