TheCable

German chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Algeria was postponed on Monday after Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika suffered a bout of “acute bronchitis”.

The visit was postponed because of the “temporary unavailability” of Bouteflika, according to a statement.

Merkel was due to arrive in Algeria later Monday for a two-day visit, part of an effort to bolster economic relations with North African countries and stem migration to Germany ahead of national elections this year.

Over the past 11 years, Bouteflika, 79, has been in the hospital numerous times in France.

In 2016, he went to the French city of Grenoble for “regular medical tests.”

There has been intense speculation as to the state of Bouteflika’s health. In 2013, he received treatment for two and a half months in France after suffering a stroke.

Bouteflika has been in power since 1999. His current term ends in 2019.

The German chancellor was scheduled to hold talks with Bouteflika on Tuesday.

Key topics on the agenda were economic development, migration and security in the region, a spokeswoman said in a statement.

Merkel was also expected to meet with civil society representatives and visit a school for girls where the German language is taught.

Germany is seeking to forge closer relations with North African countries such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia in order to speed up deportations of unsuccessful asylum seekers from those countries.

Algeria shares borders with Mali and Niger, both of which are key transit countries for migrants and refugees, as well as Libya, where around 90 per cent of the migrants arriving in Europe via the Mediterranean set sail.