Algeria - (AFP) - The European Commissioner for Energy, Cadre Simson, said on Tuesday that Europe wants a "long-term strategic partnership" with Algeria as a reliable supplier of gas to Europe since Russian supplies stopped after the invasion of Ukraine.

"Algeria is an important and reliable supplier of gas to Europe," Simpson said at the conclusion of the Energy Business Forum between Algeria and the European Union. "Since the relationship with Russia, the largest supplier of gas to the European Union until now, has been irreversibly broken, we are turning to reliable EU suppliers." them to bridge the gap.

"We offer Algeria a long-term strategic partnership. But the strategic partnership with Algeria should not be limited to natural gas only. There is a lot that we can cooperate in together," she added, in a press statement with Algerian Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab.

She spoke of cooperation in the field of "reducing methane gas emissions" and renewable energies, since Algeria "has one of the highest solar energy potentials in the world."

The European Union is cooperating with Algeria within the framework of the "clean energy" project, as confirmed by Kadri Simson, who made it clear that the EU is "ready to strengthen its cooperation with Algeria" after the success of this experiment.

For his part, Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab spoke of the "satisfaction of the Algerian and European parties" with regard to "gas supplies to Europe according to the contracts concluded."

"Algeria is a reliable supplier and always fulfills all its contractual obligations to supply gas as well as oil," he said.

In addition to hydrocarbons, Arkab affirmed that "Algeria has become producing electricity in significant quantities that allow it to access global markets, especially the European market. However, high-voltage lines must be available across the Mediterranean, and this project is under study."

He pointed out that the Algerian government seeks to produce "50 percent of electricity through renewable energies (by) Horizons 2035" instead of natural gas, as is the case today.

Algerian Prime Minister Ayman bin Abdelrahman opened the Algerian-European Energy Business Forum by stressing that "finding the most appropriate solutions to meet the growing demand for energy" is everyone's responsibility, as reported by state television.

He said, "Algeria is the third supplier of natural gas to the continent of Europe," noting that the oil and gas group Sonatrach "has drawn up an urgent program with the aim of increasing natural gas production in the short term," noting that "exploration efforts are at the core of our strategy and investment opportunities are open to our partners."

Sonatrach had placed additional quantities of gas on the free market, amounting to 3.2 billion cubic meters, of which approximately 2.6 billion cubic meters were destined for the Italian market, Algeria's first customer, according to its CEO, Toufik Hakkar.

Algeria is the first gas exporter in Africa and supplies Europe with about 11 percent of its needs.