ALGIERS, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Nigerien Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum lamented on Saturday in Algiers the vulnerable states in Libya and Mali.
"We are in a regional context plagued by calamities, including terrorism, instability and the absence of state, in a number of neighboring countries, including Libya, in addition to the weakened states amid unstable situations as the case in Mali," Bazoum told reporters after his meeting with his Algerian counterpart Noureddine Bedoui.
To face this situation, Bazoum suggested that "it is time for the countries of the region to exchange views on security issues in a bid to make our joint actions more effective and reach a better structured cooperation."
Facing terrorist threats, smuggling and illegal immigration, the two neighbors coordinate their efforts on both bilateral and multilateral levels, as part of the "Core Countries," which group Algeria, Niger, Mali, Chad and Mauritania.
On July 26, Nigerien Foreign Minister Ibrahim Yacoubou said in Algiers that his country shares excellent security cooperation with Algeria.
In 2010, the "Core Countries" agreed to create a common mechanism for the fight against terrorism: the Joint Operational Headquarters Committee, based in Tamanrasset, an Algerian province bordering Mali and Niger.