Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune started on Tuesday a three-day visit to Russia, to “revive the strategic partnership agreement”, which was signed in 2008 to expand cooperation between the two countries.
A local Algerian newspaper said that four ministers in charge of agriculture, justice, culture and communication accompanied Tebboune on his trip, in addition to a group of managers of public companies and businessmen.
Last week, Russian and Algerian investors and industrialists met in the Algerian capital to discuss projects in renewable energy, vocational training, and higher education.
According to media leaks, memorandums of understanding will be signed in the economic and scientific fields, the pharmaceutical industry, civil nuclear energy, culture, as well as media and communication.
The two sides do not seem to want to focus on the broad areas of military cooperation between them, despite the fact that the signing of arms contracts is on the agenda of talks between President Vladimir Putin and his Algerian counterpart on Wednesday.
The energy file will also be discussed in light of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine and the growing demand in Europe for Algerian gas.
In September, members of the US Congress asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to impose sanctions on Algeria, because of frequent talk about “preparation for huge contracts” related to purchases of military weapons from Russia. However, their effort did not yield any result.
In an indirect response to what the media described as “Western pressure to cancel the visit to Russia,” Tebboune stated, in remarks at the end of 2022, that he adhered to the Moscow trip, adding that his country had good relations with all sides, including the United States and China.
According to official data, Algeria is Russia’s second trading partner on the African continent, with an exchange volume of nearly $3 billion in 2021.
Specialized international reports confirmed that Algeria has become the third importer of Russian weapons in the world, while Moscow is considered the first provider of the Algerian army in terms of weapons and military systems.
