The Turkish and Algerian parliaments have established a parliamentary committee for friendship, a statement by the latter said Tuesday.

The People's National Assembly, the lower house of the Algerian parliament, said the friendship committee was formed "under the auspices of the Chairperson of the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Mohamed Hani and Turkey's Ambassador to Algeria, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş" with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

It added that the committee will be chaired by lawmaker Masoud Kasri.

Quoting Kasri, the statement said the committee is keen to "open new horizons for cooperation with Turkey, with the aim of activating parliamentary diplomacy through the exchange of visits and experiences and the establishment of continuous dialogue."

Meanwhile, Hani praised the "historical relations and interests that unite the two countries and peoples," noting the need to strengthen them, especially at the economic level.

For her part, Göktaş expressed satisfaction with the initiative underlining the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation in the economy, culture and others.

Algerian-Turkish relations date back to the Ottoman era (1518-1830). Turkey has invested about $5 billion (TL 73.5 billion) in Algeria, with the trade volume between the two countries surpassing $3.5 billion, according to official Algerian statistics.