The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, Minister of State and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.

In the meeting, the Secretary-General commended Algeria for its crucial role in the peace process in Mali.

The Secretary-General further stressed the importance of implementing the Libyan Political Agreement, and of pursuing efforts for national reconciliation.

The Secretary-General also expressed his gratitude for Algeria's support to the United Nations-led negotiating process on Western Sahara, which he agreed must be resumed as soon as possible.

The two leaders agreed on the importance of strong national ownership of the Sustainable Development Goals as well as on the need to address climate change.

Distributed by APO on behalf of United Nations - Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.