Algiers, Jul 19 (IANS): Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in Algeria for a one-day visit, during which he is expected to finalise deals to increase Algeria's natural gas supply to Italy to ease Italy's dependence on Russian gas supply.

After his arrival on Monday, Draghi held talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune over several issues of common interest, official APS news agency reported on Monday.

Delegations from the two countries held a meeting in Algiers on Monday, during which several cooperation agreements were signed, according to the report.

Algeria will raise its gas shipments to Italy by 4 billion cubic metres per year, APS news agency reported on Friday, without providing a timeline for the increased delivery round, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Algerian energy giant Sonatrach will ensure the delivery of the additional natural gas shipment to its Italian partners, including Eni, APS said.

Algeria has already delivered 13.9 billion cubic metres of gas to Italy so far in 2022. In 2021, the North African country exported 21.2 billion cubic metres of natural gas to Italy.