Algiers and Washington held talks on Libya in light of UN-led efforts to create the necessary conditions for free and fair elections to end the country's division.

This came during meetings between Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and senior officials from the National Security Council and the U.S. State Department on Thursday evening, according to a statement issued by the Algerian Foreign Ministry.

The Foreign Ministry added that Attaf and White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk reviewed the latest developments in the Middle East, developments in the Palestinian issue, as well as developments in the crisis in Libya.

According to the Algerian Foreign Ministry, "these meetings confirmed the strength of the partnership between Algeria and the United States, highlighting in particular the aspirations of the two parties and their readiness to work to strengthen it further in the context of the upcoming bilateral elections."

On Wednesday, Attaf and his U.S. counterpart, Antony Blinken, held talks on the situations in Niger, Libya and Mali, where they affirmed "the compatibility of the positions of the two countries, and their efforts to prefer peaceful solutions to these crises in order to avoid the risks of the military escalation in the region."