Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

have a connection. The northern part of Algeria today was formerly the territory of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

, which was originally from modern-day Italy. Some historical sites like the

Djémila Djémila ( ar, جميلة, links=, lit=Ǧamīlah, translit=Beautiful (one)), formerly Cuicul, is a small mountain village in Algeria, near the northern coast east of Algiers, where some of the best preserved Roman ruins in North Africa are foun ...

and

Tipasa Tipasa, sometimes distinguished as Tipasa in Mauretania, was a colonia in the Roman province Mauretania Caesariensis, nowadays called Tipaza, and located in coastal central Algeria. Since 1982, it has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Sit ...

, two ancient Roman heritages that are now

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s. Due to historical legacies, Italy and Algeria's relations are viewed as important for stability in the region. Algeria has an embassy in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Italy has an embassy in

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

. Two nations are members of the

Union for the Mediterranean The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM; french: Union pour la Méditerranée, ar, الإتحاد من أجل المتوسط ''Al-Ittiḥād min ajl al-Mutawasseṭ'') is an intergovernmental organization of 43 member states from Europe and the M ...

History

After the Roman Empire annexed

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

, which also ruled northern Algeria, the Roman administration developed a strong cultural establishment within Algeria, that remains heavily in Algeria today. During the

French conquest of Algeria The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France inva ...

, Italo-French settlers had arrived as part of French colonial domination in Algeria that later formed the

Pied-Noirs The ''Pieds-Noirs'' (; ; ''Pied-Noir''), are the people of French and other European descent who were born in Algeria during the period of French rule from 1830 to 1962; the vast majority of whom departed for mainland France as soon as Alg ...

, and they had developed a significant cultural impact on Algerian society. They were forced to leave upon the independence of Algeria in 1962.

Modern relations

Italy has been a strong supporter of Algeria's stability following a decade of civil conflict in Algeria, and provided intelligence for the Algerian Government battling the Islamists. In 2014, during a visit to

, the

Italian Prime Minister The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...

Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi (; born 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician who served as prime minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. He has been a senator for Florence since 2018. Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva (IV) since 2019, having been ...

called the relationship between Italy and Algeria "very important and strategic". Italy and Algeria have been working to deepen the tie between two states, notably economic and energy cooperations. On 28 February 2022, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Luigi Di Maio Luigi Di Maio (; born 6 July 1986) is an Italian former stadium beverage vendor and politician. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2019 to 2022, as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Economic Development, Labour and Soci ...

met with Tebboune, the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Ramtane Lamamra Ramtane Lamamra ( ar, رمطان لعمامرة; born 15 June 1952) is an Algerian diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria. He was the African Union's Commissioner for Peace and Security from 2008 to 2013 and Minister of Foreign Aff ...

and Minister of Energy

Mohamed Arkab Mohamed Arkab (born 19 February 1966) is an Algerian politician who is serving as Minister of Energy since 22 February 2021. Biography Arkab was born in 1966 and is from the village of Aït Salah in the municipality of Ammal in the Boumerdès ...

during a visit to Algeria. They held talks about increasing the quantities of Algerian gas to Europe after the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

. On 26 May 2022, during a state visit to

, Algerian President

Abdelmadjid Tebboune Abdelmadjid Tebboune ( ar, عبد المجيد تبون, ʿAbd al-Majīd Tabbūn; born 17 November 1945) is an Algerian politician currently serving as the President of Algeria since December 2019 and as Minister of Defence. He took over the po ...

agreed to increase

gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

supply for Italy and Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 18 July 2022, Tebboune and

Mario Draghi Mario Draghi (; born 3 September 1947) is an Italian economist, academic, banker and civil servant who served as prime minister of Italy from February 2021 to October 2022. Prior to his appointment as prime minister, he served as President of ...

signed an energy contract worth €4 billion for additional gas supply to Italy in Algiers, making Algeria Italy's biggest gas supplier.

Algerian Embassy

The Algerian embassy is located in

. * Ambassador Touahria Abdelkrim

Italian Embassy

The Italian embassy is located in

. * Ambassador Giovanni Pugliese

References

External links

Embassy of Algeria in Rome

Embassy of Italy, Algeria
{{DEFAULTSORT:Algeria-Italy relations