TEHRAN - President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran arrived in Algiers on Saturday to take part in a meeting of the world’s leading natural gas producers and to strengthen Tehran’s cooperation with regional and international alliances.

Raisi is attending the 7th meeting of the leaders of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) at the official invitation of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

During his stay in Algeria, Raisi is scheduled to meet with certain senior officials that are member to the GECF.

The Iranian and Algerian presidents are also set to sign a number of memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on the sidelines of the meeting.

Raisi’s trip marks the fourth by an Iranian president to the North African country, which took place with a gap of about 14 years after former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit in 2010.

The GECF, comprised of 13 permanent members and seven observers, was established in 2008 based on an initial proposal by Iran as one of the world’s largest possessors of natural gas reserves.

The trip comes on the backdrop of Iran’s efforts to boost ties with countries in North Africa, including Sudan, with which Iran had strained relations in recent years, and with Egypt, a country that has had no diplomatic relations with Iran since 1979.

Speaking to reporters before his departure, Raisi reiterated Tehran’s position that Iran, as one of the largest producers and exporters of gas, and thanks to its extensive connections with the countries of the Persian Gulf and Central Asia, can become a “regional hub” for gas production and export.

“This capacity should be introduced to the world in order to provide the basis for strengthening Iran’s interaction with other gas-producing and exporting countries,” he added, according to Press TV.

The Iranian president added, “In the eyes of our people, Algeria is a country that has fought colonialism and Iranian people have very good memories of the Algerian nation’s steadfastness and resistance against colonizers.”

Touching on Algeria’s position in North Africa and the Islamic world, Raisi said Algeria has a privileged position in the African continent and strengthening relations can effectively help improve the level of Iran’s relations with African countries, especially the countries in the north of the continent.

“Africa in general and the Islamic countries of this continent in particular have a privileged position in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and I hope that this trip can play a significant role in strengthening the relations between West Asia and North Africa,” he said.

Referring to the important role of the two countries in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), OPEC and the GECF, Raisi said, “The active role of Iran and Algeria in regional organizations and the Islamic world has brought us closer to each other.”