By Abdul Razzaq bin Abdullah

ALGIERS

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has approved a plan to open the first border crossing between Algeria and Mauritania following an agreement signed between the two countries last year.

The Algeria Press Service on Tuesday quoted a statement released by Algeria’s presidency saying Bouteflika had signed the decree on Monday.

Last November, Algerian Interior Minister Noureddine Badawi and Mauritanian counterpart Ahmed Ould Abdallah inked a deal to establish the first border crossing linking the North African neighbors.

Officials from both countries said earlier that the planned crossing -- linking the Algerian city of Tindouf to the Mauritanian city of Zawierat -- would “facilitate the movement of people and goods and stimulate bilateral trade”.