On October 7th, Mr. Israel Hernandez - Assistant Secretary & Director General of the U.S. Commercial Service - visited Algeria to highlight the placement of new Commercial Officer Douglas Wallace at the American Embassy, Algiers; and to underscore the importance of U.S.-Algerian business ties. Here, Mr. Hernandez is pictured with Ambassador David Pearce and Mr. Lahouari Belbari, President of the Algeria Amcham.

Mr. Hernandez said: “Algeria is probably one of the world’s biggest markets that U.S. firms don’t know about. Outside of the oil sector, American companies generally are not familiar with the opportunities here that exist for the benefit of Algerians and Americans alike. One of the major recent achievements of the U.S. Department of Commerce has been to open up or expand offices in promising, new markets like Algeria that are less traditional for U.S. companies."

"Indeed, the strength of the American economy depends on its openness to trade, the free exchange of ideas given protection for intellectual property, and transparency in rules, procedures, and government tenders. By opening an American Commercial Attache position at the American Embassy in Algiers, the U.S. Government is saying to the Algerian people: Both our countries are stronger through more trade, not less. I am proud that Douglas Wallace is the new Commercial Attache in Algiers, and I know that our countries will grow even closer together as a result."