Algerian President to Visit China Next Week

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (AFP)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (AFP)
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Algerian President to Visit China Next Week

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (AFP)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (AFP)

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will visit China next week at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Algeria’s presidency has announced.

The presidency said in a brief statement on Thursday that the visit falls within the framework of boosting solid and deep-rooted relations and strengthening economic cooperation between the two friendly peoples of Algeria and China.

Tebboune's visit to China follows his trip to Russia last month, noting that the Algerian president had previously expressed his country's aspiration to join the BRICS group.

The visit was arranged last March when several technical meetings were held between Algerian and Chinese officials to prepare for the political and economic files discussed during the visit.

During his visit to China, the Algerian president aims to develop the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement signed between Algeria and Beijing in 2014, especially after the tremendous developments in bilateral relations since that period.

Last November, the two countries signed their second five-year strategic partnership plan for 2022-2026.

Since 2018, Algeria has joined the executive plan for the joint implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the three-year cooperation plan in key fields 2022-2024 between Algeria and China.

Algeria wants to accelerate the implementation of several vital economic projects, with Chinese funding and partnership, including the project to exploit the Gara Djebilet iron deposit in the southwestern province of Tindouf.

A Chinese consortium of three companies signed a memorandum of understanding with an Algerian state company to exploit the iron deposit.

In March, Algeria and China signed a shareholder agreement to invest $7 billion to produce 5.4 million tons of fertilizer per year in the Algerian region of Tebessa.



Turkish Deputy FM Visits Port Sudan to Discuss Mediation with UAE

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran (Turkish Foreign Ministry/X)
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran (Turkish Foreign Ministry/X)
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Turkish Deputy FM Visits Port Sudan to Discuss Mediation with UAE

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran (Turkish Foreign Ministry/X)
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran (Turkish Foreign Ministry/X)

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran is set to arrive in Port Sudan, the temporary Sudanese capital, on Saturday to hold talks with Sudanese officials.

The visit aims to present proposals from Türkiye for facilitating mediation between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a role Ankara had previously pledged to undertake.

Duran’s visit follows a December 13 phone call between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. During the call, Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s willingness to mediate between Sudan and the UAE to resolve tensions and halt the ongoing war.

A diplomatic source from the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that the Turkish official’s visit focuses on advancing Türkiye’s mediation initiative. The source noted that Duran is expected to deliver a document containing dialogue proposals to the Sudanese government, which will later be shared with the UAE.

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously issued a statement welcoming Ankara’s initiative and expressed readiness to coordinate with Ankara to end the conflict in Sudan. However, the source emphasized Sudan’s clear stance on mediation, reaffirming its commitment to implementing the terms of the Jeddah Declaration agreed upon between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on May 11, 2023.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf described the Turkish diplomat’s visit as significant, highlighting the strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations. He emphasized that it reaffirms recent communications between their leadership and bolsters relations between the peoples of Sudan and Türkiye.

“The visit underscores Türkiye’s interest in developments in Sudan and expresses Turkish solidarity with the Sudanese people,” the official Sudanese news agency (SUNA) quoted Yusuf as saying.

In a speech marking Sudan’s Independence Day on Tuesday, Al-Burhan expressed readiness to engage in any “genuine initiative” that could end the conflict. At the same time, he reiterated his commitment to preparing for a decisive military victory in favor of the Sudanese people.

Al-Burhan firmly rejected any return to pre-April 15, 2023 conditions and dismissed the possibility of coexisting with the RSF and its backers.

“There is no place among the Sudanese people for these killers, criminals, and their supporters,” he stated.