ALGIERS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Algeria and Britain on Monday discussed ways of broadening their cooperation to the sectors of industry and new technologies, as part of the visit of British Minister of State for International Trade Conor Burns to the North African nation, Algerian Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
Burns held talks in Algiers with his Algerian counterpart Said Djellab as they "discussed bilateral trade relations, and stressed the excellent relations that bind the two countries," the source said.
The British official hailed the decision of Algeria to cancel the 51/49 investment rule, which "hindered foreign investors, including British companies, from entering the Algerian market.
Burns further expressed his country's will to expand economic partnership with Algeria, especially in the field of new technologies.
He stressed the great potentials in the two countries to build promising partnerships in several fields.
Djellab called for British companies to invest in all areas, in a bid to take advantage of the government's strategy aiming at boosting non-hydrocarbons sectors to preserve the national economy balance and foreign exchange reserves.
Earlier in the day, Burns held talks with Industry and Mining Minister Djamila Tamazirt.
The Algerian minister invited the British companies to invest in certain fields, such as renewable energies, pharmaceutical industry, infrastructures, as well as information and communication technologies.
