Algeria will remain an important energy partner for Europe and the UK due to its success at maintaining political stability in the face of regional security challenges, the British ambassador to the North African country has said.
"Algeria is a reliable energy partner for the UK and also the European Union, and its oil and gas deliveries will be of great importance in the coming years," UK Ambassador Andrew Noble told delegates Tuesday at the North Africa Oil and Gas Summit in Algiers.
"Algeria has been able to maintain its reliability as an energy supplier in relation to its partners, particularly in Europe, thanks to its current political stability in a fragile regional context, the strength of its institutions and its honoring of contractual commitments even during the years of insecurity," he said.
The UK is committed to strengthening cooperation with Algeria to ensure energy security, Noble said.
North Africa Risk Consulting president Geoff Porter described Algeria as an island of stability in a volatile neighborhood.
Despite a five-year outlook for continued low oil prices, and security threats caused by Islamic State group militants targeting foreign companies operating in Algeria, the country remained "a fortress in rough seas" with strong institutions and experience of confronting security challenges dating from the 1990s, he said.
Porter said Algeria's neighbor Morocco was courting high risk due to the large number of volunteers from that country who had joined Islamic State, later causing havoc upon returning home.
However, Algeria had successfully dealt with terrorist threats emanating from unstable neighboring states, especially Tunisia and Libya. As a result, it was playing a new regional role in confronting security challenges, Porter said.
