THE Algerian Minister of Veterans' Affairs, Mohammed Cherif Abbas signed a co-operation agreement with his Namibian counterpart, Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, in Windhoek on Friday.

Abbas on Friday concluded an official five-day visit to Namibia, which included talks with local war veterans and a visit to Etosha National Park.

According to Tjiriange, Algeria set up a ministry for veterans shortly after achieving independence from France in 1962.

"Algeria has long and deep experience in this field and we can learn from them," Tjiriange said at the signing ceremony.

"Our delegations exchanged views and experiences on this topic like training in orthopaedics, social welfare, training and rehabilitation (of war veterans)."

Tjiriange emphasised Algeria's staunch support of Namibia's liberation struggle.

"Algeria supported PLAN, our military wing, and it was the first country to donate weapons to Swapo in the sixties," he said.

Abbas said African countries had to learn from their past and should co-operate.

"My visit shows that co-operation between Algeria and Namibia is being renewed and will soon show results," he said.