Algerian Foreign minister Ramtan al-Amamra

Damascus, July 26 (RHC)-- Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtan al-Amamra has met Syrian president basher al-Assad in Damascus and handed him a letter from Algerian president on bilateral relations and preparations made for the upcoming Arab League summit in Algeria.

Assad said the Arab League is the mirror that reflects Arabs’ status quo, asserting what matters to Syria is the content and result of joint Arab action rather than the form.

Amamra said Syria is a basic element on the Arab arena and that the Arab world needs Syria not vice versa.  He stressed that Algeria will remain standing beside and coordinating with Syria regarding Arab and international developments during its presidency of the Arab League summit.

The top Algerian official also held a separate meeting with his Syrian counterpart. The two sides agreed to boost economic cooperation and establish a joint higher committee for this purpose.  However, the main topic was how to bridge gaps in the relations between Syria and some Arab countries, as Algeria is exerting efforts to bring back Syria to the Arab League.

Mikdad asserted that the issue is beyond just attending or not attending the Arab League summit.  Algeria is one of the few Arab countries that remained supportive to Syria during its crisis, as it condemned terror and rejected economic sanctions on Syria.

This is the first official visit of an Algerian foreign minister to Syria in years. It comes as Algeria strives to unite Arab states and enhance Arab-Arab relations ahead of hosting the upcoming Arab League summit in November.