Her Excellency Ms. Nassima Baghli, Ambassador of Algeria, hosted a reception to celebrate the National Day of Algeria. Standing between the flags of Algeria and The Netherlands, the Ambassador greeted the hundreds of guests, who had come to congratulate her on this occasion. The impressive and hardworking Ambassador Baghli is known to always make time to attend most National Day receptions of her fellow Ambassadors, despite her busy schedule. She also made time to answer a few questions.

You have been in The Netherlands for almost five years now. What is your impression of The Netherlands in general? “I am really happy to be in The Netherlands. Because of the combination of bilateral and multilateral issues, The Hague is a very good place to work in. The Hague is indeed home to many international organizations, which give the city a special touch. For a diplomat, being posted in The Hague really brings an added value to his/her careeer. The diplomatic circle is very active. I also like the mindset of the Dutch people very much. They are very energetic and pragmatic. They are always striving to adapt to new realities and to experience new things. My stay in The Netherlands is being very fruitful. I discovered a country, which has a lot of assets and a wonderful capacity of innovation.”

Algeria is an important gas producing country. Can you give an example of the cooperation between Algeria and The Netherlands? “Algeria is indeed an important gas and oil producing country. We are a supplier to The Netherlands. The company Shell is bringing a precious contribution to the exploration of oil and gas in Algeria. For its part, Algeria imports a lot of agricultural products from The Netherlands. We also import machineries for industry and agriculture. We also have a very good cooperation in the field of water
management. A pilot project in the south of Algeria on the reuse of water for irrigation has just been finalized.

I am very happy to witness that the Algerian and the Dutch companies are very eager to work together. In Algeria people appreciate the Dutch know how and products very much. The Netherlands is the sixth client of Algeria and its fourteenth supplier. So, as you can see, the economic ties between the two countries are very good and diverse.”