Italian President Sergio Mattarella kicked off on Saturday a two-day visit to Algeria at the invitation of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, aiming to boost bilateral cooperation, notably in the economic field.

Upon his arrival at Algiers International Airport, Mattarella was welcomed by Tebboune and a number of high-ranking officials.

The visit provides an opportunity for the two countries to discuss political and economic issues of common interest, as part of the strategic relations between Italy and Algeria.

In the energy sector, Algeria supplies 40 percent of Italian natural gas demand via the 1,200-km-long gas pipeline linking the two countries.

Bilateral trade in the first half of 2021 hit 5.9 billion U.S. dollars, of which 4.2 billion dollars came from Algerian exports to Italy, according to the official figures.

As many as 384 Italian companies are investing in Algeria in different fields, including construction, manufacturing, mining, and engineering studies.