Official Statement of MND
09th June 2026
General Saïd CHANEGRIHA, Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Defence and Chief of Staff of People's National Army, received in audience the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe and Africa and NATO Joint Force Commander, Admiral George Wikoff.
General Saïd CHANEGRIHA, Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Defence and Chief of Staff of People's National Army, received in audience on Tuesday, 9th June 2026, at People's National Army headquarters, the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa and NATO Joint Force Commander, Admiral George Wikoff.
The meeting was attended by Major Generals and Brigadier Generals officers from the Ministry of National Defence and of People's National Army General Staff, as well as members of the American delegation. The two sides reviewed the state of military cooperation between the two countries and exchanged views on matters of common interest.
On this occasion, the General delivered a speech in which he welcomed the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe and Africa and his delegation, before affirming that bilateral relations were experiencing renewed momentum, as evidenced by the exchange of visits by high-level delegations:
“Bilateral military relations are experiencing renewed momentum, particularly following the signing of the memorandum of understanding on military cooperation in January 2025. This initiative is fully aligned with the desire of both countries to build a strategic partnership based on mutual respect and serving common interests.”
This dynamic has materialized in exchanges of visits by high-level delegations, such as the recent visit of the AFRICOM Commander to Algeria, which provided an opportunity to exchange views on issues of common interest and contributed to strengthening communication channels on security and strategic matters.
The General emphasized that Algeria, in its pursuit of strengthening its cooperative relations with various states, remains deeply committed to the principle of non-alignment, its independence, and its sovereign decision-making:
“Finally, I wish to reiterate that Algeria, within the framework of its resolute approach to consolidating its cooperative relations with various states, remains deeply committed to the principle of non-alignment, its independence, and its sovereign decision-making.
It is for all these sacred principles, which we expect our partners to appreciate and respect, that our country, from 1830 to 1962, made the sacrifice of more than 5,630,000 martyrs, including 1.5 million martyrs between 1954 and 1962”.
For his part, Admiral George Wikoff expressed his satisfaction with his visit to Algeria and his ambition to work towards strengthening bilateral and multilateral military cooperation, commending the contribution of People's National Army to maintaining maritime security in the western Mediterranean.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides exchanged symbolic gifts.
At Naval Forces Command headquarters, Admiral George Wikoff met with the Naval Forces Commander, Major General Mahfoud Ben Meddah, where the two sides discussed ways and means of further developing coordination and cooperation, as well as the exchange of experiences in the field of maritime security, in order to contribute to maintaining security and stability in the region of interest.
The meeting was attended by Major Generals and Brigadier Generals officers from the Ministry of National Defence and of People's National Army General Staff, as well as members of the American delegation. The two sides reviewed the state of military cooperation between the two countries and exchanged views on matters of common interest.
On this occasion, the General delivered a speech in which he welcomed the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe and Africa and his delegation, before affirming that bilateral relations were experiencing renewed momentum, as evidenced by the exchange of visits by high-level delegations:
“Bilateral military relations are experiencing renewed momentum, particularly following the signing of the memorandum of understanding on military cooperation in January 2025. This initiative is fully aligned with the desire of both countries to build a strategic partnership based on mutual respect and serving common interests.”
This dynamic has materialized in exchanges of visits by high-level delegations, such as the recent visit of the AFRICOM Commander to Algeria, which provided an opportunity to exchange views on issues of common interest and contributed to strengthening communication channels on security and strategic matters.
The General emphasized that Algeria, in its pursuit of strengthening its cooperative relations with various states, remains deeply committed to the principle of non-alignment, its independence, and its sovereign decision-making:
“Finally, I wish to reiterate that Algeria, within the framework of its resolute approach to consolidating its cooperative relations with various states, remains deeply committed to the principle of non-alignment, its independence, and its sovereign decision-making.
It is for all these sacred principles, which we expect our partners to appreciate and respect, that our country, from 1830 to 1962, made the sacrifice of more than 5,630,000 martyrs, including 1.5 million martyrs between 1954 and 1962”.
For his part, Admiral George Wikoff expressed his satisfaction with his visit to Algeria and his ambition to work towards strengthening bilateral and multilateral military cooperation, commending the contribution of People's National Army to maintaining maritime security in the western Mediterranean.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides exchanged symbolic gifts.
At Naval Forces Command headquarters, Admiral George Wikoff met with the Naval Forces Commander, Major General Mahfoud Ben Meddah, where the two sides discussed ways and means of further developing coordination and cooperation, as well as the exchange of experiences in the field of maritime security, in order to contribute to maintaining security and stability in the region of interest.
