Algeria and Moscow have historical relations, whether at the economic level, with trade exchanges amounting to more than 3 billion dollars, or at the political and strategic level, especially since Russia is the largest supplier of weapons to the largest African country in terms of area.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune arrived in the Russian capital, Moscow, on a “three-day” visit, according to what the Algerian presidency announced in a statement. The visit is expected to include a meeting between him and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in addition to the signing of partnership agreements in the fields of economic and political cooperation.
During this visit, Tebboune will participate in the work of the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, which will be held from June 14 to June 17, according to the statement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had previously unveiled a strategic partnership document between the two countries in May 2022, in response to the rapid development of friendly and close relations between the two countries in all fields.
Algeria and Moscow have historical relations, whether at the economic level, with trade exchanges amounting to more than $3 billion, or at the political level. Military cooperation is also an essential element in the strategic relations between the two countries, especially since Russia is the first armed force of the Algerian army since independence, whether in the field of military aviation or defensive missile systems.
Russian support represents an important card for Algeria to enter the BRICS bloc at the end of 2023, and Tebboune had stated that the Russian ambassador to Algeria, Valerian Shuvaev, confirmed last September that his country does not oppose Algeria joining the economic group, after completing the necessary procedures and conditions.
It is assumed that the exploitation of the huge iron mine in Ghar Jbeilat in southwestern Algeria will also be on the table for discussion, as Russian technology is used to separate the iron ore from the phosphorus present in a high percentage in the mine.
This will allow the transition from extracting 3 million to 50 million tons annually of iron ore, which will enable the production of 12 million tons of liquid iron. dollar.
The Algerian president’s visit to Russia comes in light of an Algerian diplomatic movement, during which Tebboune visited Portugal, and he is also expected to visit France. Algeria is also looking to expand the horizons of its economic cooperation and activate new partnerships that allow it to diversify its economy, which has been limited to hydrocarbon revenues.
However, Algerian political analysts believe that “the timing of the visit is wrong from a regional point of view, as it comes in response to the Moroccan regime that is strengthening its relations with Israel, in conjunction with maneuvers taking place near the Moroccan-Algerian border, while Russia is mired in Ukraine.”
During its presidency of the Arab summit, Algeria showed neutrality in dealing with the war that Russia is waging on Ukrainian soil. Tebboune stated that his country “neither condemns nor supports the Russian military operation,” and that “its position is not to take sides.”
