Mali's transitional president, General Assimi Goïta, will pay an official visit to Algeria at the invitation of the country's head of state, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Mali's Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga announced at a press conference following talks with the Algerian leader.
"Goïta views this invitation as a sign of respect and attention to him personally and to the brotherly Malian people. He has, of course, given his consent to this official visit to Algeria," the Malian prime minister noted.
Maïga arrived in Algeria on August 24 at the head of a government delegation. During the visit, Mali's prime minister laid a wreath at the monument to World War II martyrs in Algiers.
A meeting with the country's president followed. Speaking of the fundamental principles of cooperation, Maïga cited the Algerian president's words on upholding the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.
"Algeria will never interfere in the internal affairs of our countries (the Alliance of Sahel States — AI) and will ensure that respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs are necessary conditions, the foundation of this shared vision of turning our region into an 'oasis' of peace," Mali's prime minister added.
Following the meeting with the Algerian head of state, Maïga also emphasized that both countries must continue to strengthen bilateral ties.
"Mali and Algeria are bound by a shared geography. ... We are in a sense destined to walk together and are obliged to work for the prosperity of our two peoples," Maïga stated.
The Malian prime minister's visit to Algeria comes amid improving contacts between the two countries. Earlier in August, Maïga announced the normalization of relations with Algeria.
At the beginning of July, Algeria and Mali reopened their airspace to each other and agreed to resume diplomatic representation after suspending it in April 2025 due to a conflict related to the downing of a drone in the border area.
In September 2025, Mali's government announced its intention to file a lawsuit against Algeria at the International Court of Justice over the incident on the night of March 31–April 1, when Algerian armed forces destroyed a Malian drone with registration number TZ-98D in the Tinzaouaten area. Algeria, for its part, stated that it would refuse to participate in proceedings if Mali's authorities filed a lawsuit.
In April of last year, following Algeria's downing of a Malian reconnaissance drone, the countries closed their airspace to each other. Algeria's Foreign Ministry also announced the recall of ambassadors from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. This was in response to the Sahel Alliance states' announcement of the recall of their ambassadors from Algeria after the drone incident.