Mauritania is deftly navigating its diplomatic relations with its key North African neighbors, Morocco and Algeria. After solidifying ties with Morocco through a memorandum of understanding in Rabat on Thursday, focusing on electricity and renewable energies, Mauritania is now turning its attention to Algeria. On Sunday, January 26, Ismaïl Abdel Fattah, Managing Director of Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures, held talks in Algiers with Rachid Hachichi, CEO of Sonatrach, Algeria's national oil company. The discussions centered on exploring investment opportunities and implementing strategic projects of mutual interest. «These projects cover the entire value chain of the hydrocarbon sector, from exploration and production to marketing», the Algerian group stated, according to reports from local media. Back in September 2022, during the 9th session of the bilateral high-level joint commission in Nouakchott, Algeria committed to constructing a gas pipeline connecting the two nations. Further strengthening regional ties, a meeting in Casablanca on December 20, 2024, saw King Mohammed VI of Morocco and Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani agree «to develop strategic projects linking the neighboring countries». They also pledged to coordinate their efforts within African initiatives, notably the African-Atlantic gas pipeline and a project to enhance Sahel states' access to the Atlantic Ocean, as announced by the royal cabinet at the time.
