German Chancellor Angela Merkel will pay a visit to Algeria on Monday, her second since 2008, the official APS news agency reported.
Merkel was forced to cancel a trip to Algeria at the last minute in February 2017 after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika fell ill with acute bronchitis.
During next week’s visit, Merkel is set to meet the ailing 81-year-old, who suffered a stroke in 2013, as well as Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, APS reported on Thursday.
‘This visit will be an opportunity to assess economic relations between Algeria and Germany,’ the news agency said.
It said more than 200 German companies from industrial sectors including the automotive, chemical and pharmaceutical trades are present in Algeria.
In the first seven months of 2018, Algeria imported $1.9 billion (1.6 billion euros) worth of German products, making Berlin the North African country’s fifth largest supplier, according to Algerian customs figures.