Italy and Algeria are joining forces to stop illegal migrants crossing to Europe from North Africa and agree its coup-hit Sahel region urgently needs stabilising, foreign minister Antonio Tajani stated on Tuesday.
"I met Algeria's foreign minister Ahmed Attaf. Italy and Algeria continue to work together to strengthen migration initiatives to stop irregular arrivals in the Mediterranean," Tajani tweeted from the UN General Assembly in New York.
"The urgent need to stabilise the Sahel (sub-Sahran Africa) and the crisis in Niger were at the centre of the talks," the tweet added.
Last month, Attaf proposed a six-month transitional plan for Niger following the military coup there on 26 July, which sent shock waves across West Africa and elsewhere amid fears the putsch could destabilise the region and harm counter-terrorism efforts there.
