Algerian President to Sign 'Strategic Partnership Agreement' with Russia

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov (Algerian Presidency)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov (Algerian Presidency)
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Algerian President to Sign 'Strategic Partnership Agreement' with Russia

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov (Algerian Presidency)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov (Algerian Presidency)

Algeria and Russia are preparing to sign a "strategic partnership agreement," which includes all sectors of economic cooperation during President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's upcoming visit to Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Tebboune in May 2020 to visit Russia, which never occurred due to the coronavirus pandemic. He renewed the invitation last July.

The Algerian side has yet to confirm that the visit will take place soon, which means that the country's authorities are keen to complete the arrangements for the agreement before announcing its exact date.

Last November, the Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, stated that the government was awaiting a proposal from the Algerian side to set the date, noting that it will likely to take place at the end of the year."

For his part, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said last month that he hopes Tebboune's visit to Moscow will take place before the end of the year, reiterating its importance for both countries.

Lamamra said they have a broad cooperation program between Algeria and Russia, adding that the two countries are partners and essential to each other.

"We are conducting a high-level political dialogue. We hope President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's visit to Russia will begin a new phase in our relations", Lamamra added.

Observers said Tebboune's absence from the US-Africa summit in Washington expresses Algeria's rejection of US pressure on countries to isolate Russia against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis.

Algeria prefers to coordinate with Russia on major international issues, but it is keen to avoid anything disturbing its relations with Washington, given the interests that unite them.

Media sources said negotiations are underway to conclude an agreement framing Russian military supplies to Algeria for the next ten years.

According to the sources, the Algerian military leadership is interested in acquiring submarines, aircrafts, and new air defense systems.

The 2023 Budget Law has set the defense budget at $23 billion, the largest since independence in 1960.

The remarkable military rapprochement between the two countries angered members of the US Congress.

Last October, they demanded their government impose sanctions on Algeria under the pretext of arms deals linking it to Russia.



Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
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Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported.

It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said.

"This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement."

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.