Indonesia, Algeria sign cooperation agreements

The joint commission of Indonesia and Algeria wound up works in Algiers Tuesday with the signing of three protocols on investment, non-double taxation and activation of the joint commission and a cooperation agreement in Oil and gas sector.

"The main priority was to increase the volume of trade, particularly in oil and gas," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Alwi Shihab said in a press release issued by the Indonesian embassy in Algiers.

He also called, at a press conference following the signing of the three protocols, for reasonable oil prices, around $ 25 a barrel, without affecting the economy of oil producers.

He added that he had examined this question with Algerian President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who, he said, defended the same view as that of the Indonesian President.

OPEC member countries should follow a median way because the decrease of oil prices will have an adverse impact on the producing countries, he said.

Relatedly, US energy secretary, Bill Richardson, and Venezuelan oil minister, Ali Rodriguez, arrived Tuesday in Algiers for consultations with Algerian officials ahead of OPEC ministerial meeting, to be held next week in Vienna.

The Algerian-Indonesian commission examined several potential sectors of cooperation such as agriculture, trade, industry, sea and air transport, health, tourism, energy and small-medium enterprises.

Shihab arrived in Algiers on Monday for a two-day official visit with a written message from Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid to Bouteflika.

The minister also met with Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Benbitour, Parliament Speaker Abdelkader Bensaleh and a number of ministers.