Secretary (West), Smt. Sujata Mehta: Today has been a good start to the official part of this visit to Algiers. If we were to try to sum it up, I think, the theme of this visit is renewal and reinvigoration.
The Vice President had two meetings today. The first meeting was with Mr. Mohammad Larbi Old Khalifa, President of the People’s National Assembly of Algeria, that is the Lower House and subsequently he met Mr. Abdelkhader Bensalah, President of the Council
of Nation, the Upper House.
In between the two meetings, he very briefly visited an important site which is under restoration, the Ketchaoua Mosque. The meetings, there was a common thread which ran through the discussion that we are making contact again with an old friend and we at both
sides looking to redefine the relationship and to reconfigure it into a more contemporary form.
Other than the fact that both sides have had extensive commonalities in ways of thinking in the past, I think, both sides also felt the need to explore new areas of cooperation and the ones that were touched on briefly were cooperation in the Hydro-carbon sector
as you all know Algeria is very rich in Hydro-carbons so cooperation in Hydro-carbon sector, an idea that we have been discussing in the aircraft, the possibility in the cooperation in fertilizer sector, then cooperation in the pharma sector and in the area
of the space.
The issue of terrorism was touched down by both countries as I had mentioned yesterday and earlier. Algeria has had a very serious problem with terrorism which they handled very resolutely and very boldly and very unflinchingly so the issue of common approaches
to tackling terrorism were touched on and our Vice President and Algerian dignitaries he met were agreed that development is not really possible without peace and security for citizens. So this was something which both sides shared.
And both sides also agreed that we need to upgrade our ties to discover new areas for cooperation. Some of the new areas were already listed for you. These were meetings wuth the Presiding Officers of the two Legislatures and there were Legislators also present
from both sides so the Vice President underlined that he is accompanied by a multi-party delegation representing the entire spectrum of political parties across the political space.
Tomorrow he will be having meetings, to begin with, the Foreign Minister, after that the Prime Minister and then the President of Algeria. This is the shape of the day tomorrow. I have here with me our Ambassador in Algiers, Ambassador Satbir Singh, the Jt.
Secretary who oversees our relationship with this set of countries West Asia North Africa, JS WANA Dr. Bala Bhaskar and the OSD to the Vice President Anshuman Gaur. So if there are questions, all of us will be happy to try to answer them.
Question from The Hindu: What are the prospects of any agreement being signed tomorrow?
Secretary (West), Smt. Sujata Mehta: At this point there are no agreements intended to be signed or expected to be signed. This was really a visit of renewal of ties. I don’t think we came with the expectation or the intention
of signing anything.
Question: The issue of the India’s bid for the UNSC membership and India is keen about more support, was that approach was discussed in anyway?
Secretary (West), Smt. Sujata Mehta: Not in a substantial way, it was mentioned in a passing way. For instance one of the international bodies that was discussed today was and the Vice President mentioned it in the passing
words that the initiative we had taken and that is International Solar Alliance. Today the conversation was at a different level.
That kind of support is sought if it is sought, it is sought in meetings with governmental officials. This was as I said, was the meeting of presiding officers of the legislatures.
Question: Algeria is an important OIC country. Any specific discussion as far as terrorism is concerned in terms of Pakistan and South Asia?
Secretary (West), Smt. Sujata Mehta: Let me put it like this that the issue of terrorism was discussed with the resolute opposition of both countries to terrorism was reiterated and in fact both sides noted that terrorism is a crime which is also a crime
against religion. So that point was made.
Question from Doordarshan News: Any invitation was extended to Algerian leadership to visit India because since you have mentioned that this is a visit to renew the traditional ties. So any invitation was extended?
Secretary (West), Smt. Sujata Mehta: Absolutely, a general invitation was extended that India would be very happy to host Algerian leadership and the Presiding Officers of the Legislature in turn invited India’s Speaker to come and visit.
In fact there was a general feeling expressed from both sides that the presence of Parliamentarians on this delegation was welcome and we should actually look to encourage greater Parliamentary exchanges.
Question from Dainik Bhaskar: Aapne abhi kaha ki hydrocarbon ke kshetra mei shayad sahyog jyada hoga. Algeria ki neeti hai ki woh apne tel ka kam se kam niryaat karna chahte hain, iske bajay woh food sector mei jyada karna
chahte hain. Toh ye lagbhag ek doosre se vipareet virodhabhasi cheezen kaise hal kar payenge Bharat ke log?
Secretary (West), Smt. Sujata Mehta: Pehli cheez to main ye kahna chahungi ki shayad aapne jyada gahraai mein dekha hoga kyonki jahan tak mere ko jaankaari hai Algeria vaastav mein Europe ka bahut mahatvapoorn supplier
hai isliye kahna ki woh niryaat nahi karna chahte to shayad, main ye kah rahi hoon ki meri jaankari kam hai isliye main kahna nahi chahti lekin woh vaastave mein ye kah rahe they aur soch rahe they unki soch humein pata lagi ki woh kahte hain ki agar hum yahan
unki gas based production ki baat karein to us se woh sahmat honge.
Question from Telegram: You were saying that both countries are trying to renew the relationship. Can you give us some kind of background why the Indian-Algerian relations didn’t accelerate the way they should have in the
context of India’s own ties with Morocco?
Secretary (West), Smt. Sujata Mehta: Well, as I mentioned when we discussed this onboard, the last major visit from Algeria to India was in 2001 when President Bouteflika visited India as Republic Day Chief Guest.
Algeria has had a very severe problem with terrorism so they themselves have been quite inwardly focused. I don’t want to say that sounding negative but I think there preoccupations have been very clearly domestic as have, I guess, ours been. I don’t want to
say that our preoccupations have been domestic but it is, I think, just been so that on a daily basis our cooperation with Algeria has been pretty substantial and pretty constructive because typically what happens is we function well together in multi-lateral
fora.
Our diplomatic engagement has been consistent and constant. It is just so happened that high level visits had not taken place so this is in that sense a renewal but I don’t want you to conclude that we have not been cooperating with Algeria because we have
actually been consistently engaging with them but high level contacts have been relatively minimal so in that sense it’s been renewal.
I think what I am going to do now is now I am actually going to ask Ambassador Satbir Singh to give you a small overview of the relationship because he was also dealing with it in Delhi before he came here. So I would like him to share his views on the subject
with you.
Indian Ambassador to Algeria, Shri Satbir Singh: Aap ne energy ke baare mein jo puchha tha, inka jo gas ka abhi production hai woh 130 billion cubic meter hai jismein se 60 billion cubic meter Europe ko who pipeline ke
through supply karte hain.
Inke plan ke hisaab se 2020 mein inka production 200 billion cubic meter ho jayega toh domestic mein to uski itni khapat hai nahi to bahar hi jayega. Inhone LNG and LPG plant lagaye hain jinka export shuru ho jayega. Jo Japanese ne abhi inse contract buying
ki hai, to niryaat to kar rahe hain woh aur inke Mines minister jab January mein humse milane aaye they, jo Hydrocarbon Conference hui thi Delhi mein, wahan par unhone humko bola tha, Aap aaiye. Unko nimantran diya gaya tha September mein aane ka, humare mantri
nahi aa sake woh doosari baat hai, lekin unhone nimantran diya tha aap aaiye aur aap apne saath apna ek delegation le kar aaiye public aur private sector ka aur hum baat karenge kya kya area mein hum cooperation kar sakte hain.
Jaisa aapko maloom hai ki Engineer India Ltd, engineering consultant hai aur Sonatrach, jo unki sabse badi PSU hai jiske pass mein country ki 80 percent hydrocarbon, oil aur gas resources hain, woh unko consultancy de rahi hai.
Dodsal company hai humari, unki subsidiary hai Oman mein, unko bhi 300 aur 200 million ke 2 contract mile hain yaha par pipeline ke. Toh Indian companies ko hydrocarbon sector mein bhi kaam mil raha hai. Doosari baat, humari company ne bid nahi kiya hai, ye
question bhi discuss kiya gaya hai ki jab inhone exploration block khole they to humari companies ne bid nahi kiya toh Algeria ne kaha tha ki theek hai aapki company ne bid nahi kiya lekin hum sub-contract ke kaam bhi de sakte hain unko.
Toh is aadhar par unhone nimantran diya tha humare Mantri ji ko January mein ki aap, who pehle to khud aaye wahan par participate karne ko, fir unhone kaha ki aap aaiye aur unka jo assessment that woh ye tha ki Hindustan mein import ki jaroorat hai aur woh
ek aise desh ke saath mein sambandh chahte they jo unke freedom stuggle se bhi juda hua hai.
FNL ka office kisi jamane mein, jab ye independent nahi they, toh Gulf-Link se kaam karta tha aur unke sambadh they humari leadership se. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru ne FNL ki leadership ko bulaya tha as a National Liberation Movement jabki France ka strict resistance
tha.
Toh hydrocarbon sector mein bahut opportunity hain aur Algerian khud chahte hain ye. Aisa nahi hai ki unke pass aur partner nahi hain lekin woh Hindustan se judna chahte hain.
Hydrocarbon se hi juda hua hai fertilizer ka kaam. Dekhiye aap phosphate base le leejiye, gas base le leejiye, urea, DAP, DAK jo bhi aap lena chahen, inki ek mine hain jismein 5 million ton phosphate ki assessment hai aur uske liye woh JV setup karna chahte
hain aur usmein jo investment hai who kareeb 5 – 7 billion ka padega, toh isliye woh Hindustan se baat kar rahe hain. 2013 se ye baat chal rahi hai, ab inko concretize kaise kiya jaye ye toh kisi had tak dono party ko conclusion karna padega aur jo humare
Mantri Ji aaye hain, fertilizer ke, woh isiliye aaye hain aur woh baat kar rahe hain.
Question: Madam Secretary ne bahut clear kar diya hai. Bajay iske ki who crude yahan se bechen, kachcha maal yahan se bechen, woh chahte hain ki yahan se finished product bechen jis se unko jyada fayda hoga. Aapki baatcheet
se bhi thoda mujhe sanket yahi laga.
Indian Ambassador to Algeria, Shri Satbir Singh:
Nahin gas ko toh who dena chahte hain, gas mein to koi problem nahi hain aur gas based fertilizer bhi hain finished product to usmein koi dorai nahi hai. Yadi aap aage JV lagana chahte hain aur gas based fertilizer le jana chahte hain toh sulphur le leejiyega,
urea le leejiyega, DAP bana leejiye, jo bhi aap chahte hain, woh to kah rahe hain ek tareeke se, ki ye to kitchen ki kadahi hai, aap ismein kya daal ke banana chahte hain? Hamare pass gas bhi hai, hamare pass mein phosphate bhi hai aur aap aaiye, paisa lagaiye
aur hamare partner ban jaiye, to invitation hai.
Doosari cheez jo hai, dekhiye hamare independency 1947 mein aayi inki 1962 mein aayi, woh ye kehte hain ki Hindustan ki itni jyada abaadi hone ke baad bhi kuch achievement hain. Ye inki leadership ka assessment hai. Yadi aap President Bouteflika ka agar aap
career dekhenge to ye 1963 se 1979 tak Videsh Mantri rahe hain aur 1991 se lekar ke aaj tak ye Rashtrapati rahe hain.
Toh Bouteflika Hindustan se jude rahe hain jab FNL mein they, jab Videsh Mantri they, aur jab Rashtrapati rahe hain. To leadership ko maloom hai ki Hindustan ka economic development kaise hua hai aur who appreciate karte hain usko aur isliye judna chahte hain.
Woh agriculture mein hamare achievement ko appreciate karte hain, space mein, science & technology mein aadi mein sab jagah.
Recently September mein inke 3 satellite co-passenger they hamare PSLV ke jo inke banaye hue they. Hamare ISRO ke cooperation se yahan par ground-linking facility bhi set up ki gai hai aur woh usko aage badhana chahte hain.
Space and science & technology is an area they are looking for. You will be surprised to know that India’s largest export to Algeria was actually automobiles till they have put restrictions. When you will drive on the roads, you will find Maruti-Suzuki, you
will find Hyundai coming from Chennai factory, Tata Vehicles are there, Mahindra Jeeps are there. These are all vehicles that are coming.
What they have done is they have put quantitative restrictions but they are open if you are going to put up a assembly plant here. Every country does it because they want the manufacturing to be done in their country, so that’s what they are saying that instead
of importing the physical vehicle you bring the component and assemble it here and run it.
In this Sonalika Tractor is the lead because they are exporting here and they have service centers which are actually run by Algerians, they have trained the Algerians to run the Sonalika Service Centers.
So India’s largest export to countries is automobile components is supplied here so they want to expand the basket as Secretary (West) had mentioned, in Pharmaceutical, IT, Space. These are the emerging areas where they want it. But they are also conscious
that to give a push political exchange is also needed and we have a fairly good trade with Algeria. Its not that it is an empty space going on.
You will be surprised, if you go to the market, it is Indian buffalo meat, frozen food, which is coming here and it is sold as Indian. Indian goods are valued here whether it is clothing.
One export which you will not be aware of is Sarees and I tell you the reason is, the work on traditional wedding have two components. One component is that the bride-groom has to buy gold for the bride before marriage is agreed to be solidified. If he can’t
buy the gold he has no right to take the bride.
Second thing is, in the wedding she has to wear seven dresses and one of the dress is Saree. So there is Indian Saree export and there is an exporter who is located in Oran and he is doing a roaring business. Its very interesting, so your saree is part of a
Muslim wedding tradition.
So there is good prospect, there is diversified cooperation starting from entertainment, social to High-Tech space areas.
Thank you.
Under Secretary (PD), Shri Manjish Grover :
As there are no questions I would like to thank Secretary (West), His Excellency, the Ambassador, Jt. Secretary (WANA) and OSD to Vice President. Thank you very much for giving us your time.