Russia, Algeria Hold Naval Exercises in Mediterranean Sea

Part of joint Algerian-Russian naval exercises held in October 2022 (Algerian Defense Ministry)
Part of joint Algerian-Russian naval exercises held in October 2022 (Algerian Defense Ministry)
TT

Russia, Algeria Hold Naval Exercises in Mediterranean Sea

Part of joint Algerian-Russian naval exercises held in October 2022 (Algerian Defense Ministry)
Part of joint Algerian-Russian naval exercises held in October 2022 (Algerian Defense Ministry)

Russia and Algeria will hold joint naval exercises in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, the Algerian Defense Ministry announced.

It said the joint exercises aim to enhance military cooperation between the two countries.

On its social media account, the Ministry said on Monday that the Admiral Grigorovich frigate from the Black Sea fleet, has already docked in the Port of Algiers.

Its presence in Algiers underlines the military cooperation between the Algerian and Russian military, it said.

The naval exercises will include various tactical and interceptive exercises. The Russian frigate will be stationed in Algeria until December 12. It is the third of its kind to dock on the Algerian coasts in the past few months.

In August, the Mercury 734 missile corvette stopped at the port of Algiers.

Military rapprochement between Algeria and Moscow has intensified in the past two years. It was reflected in high-level visits conducted at the military level.

Last July, the chief of staff of Algeria's military, Said Chengriha, has visited Russia, where he met with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Also, on the occasion of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s visit to Moscow last June, Sputnik news agency quoted Shoigu as saying that Algeria wants to buy Russian military equipment, including tanks, aircraft, and anti-aircraft defense systems.

Algerian officers are particularly keen to acquire submarines, Su-57 (Sukhoi) stealth aircraft, Su-34 bombers, and Su-30 fighters, reports said earlier. Algeria also hopes to acquire new air defense systems, such as the S-400, the Viking, and the Antey-4000.

Therefore, the North African country aims to increase its military budget as per the draft finance law of 2023-2024.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday praised the level of economic and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Algeria at the ceremony of accepting credentials from the newly appointed foreign ambassadors.

In addition, Putin recalled that in 2024-2025 Algeria will get a seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. “We will, of course, intensify coordination with Algerian partners on topical issues on the international and regional agenda,” he added.



Turkish Foreign Minister Says No Room for Kurdish Militants in Syria's Future

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
TT

Turkish Foreign Minister Says No Room for Kurdish Militants in Syria's Future

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE

Türkiye’s foreign minister said after meeting Syria's de facto leader in Damascus on Sunday that there was no room for Kurdish militants in Syria's future, calling for the YPG militia to disband.
Türkiye regards the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara, Washington and the European Union.
Sunday's visit to Damascus by Hakan Fidan, the first foreign minister to visit Damascus since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow two weeks ago, came amid hostilities in northeast Syria between Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and the YPG, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast.
Speaking alongside Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Fidan said he had discussed the YPG presence with the new Syrian administration and believed Damascus would take steps to ensure Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
"In the coming period, the YPG must come to a point where it is no longer a threat to Syria's national unity," Fidan said, adding the YPG should disband.
The SDF played a key role defeating ISIS militants in 2014-2017 with US air support, and still guards ISIS fighters in prison camps. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the group would try to re-establish capabilities in this period.
Fidan said the international community was "turning a blind eye" to the "illegality" of the SDF and YPG's actions in Syria, but added that he believed US President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach.
He said the new Syrian administration had told him during their talks that they could manage the ISIS prison camps, if needed.
In a Reuters interview on Thursday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time, saying they had helped battle ISIS and would return home if a total ceasefire was agreed with Türkiye. He denied any organizational ties with the PKK.
The SDF has been on the back foot since Assad's fall, with the threat of advances from Ankara and Türkiye-backed groups as it looks to preserve political gains made in the last 13 years, and with Syria's new rulers being friendly to Ankara.
Earlier, Türkiye's defense minister said Ankara believed Syria's new leadership, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive YPG fighters from all of the territory they occupy in the northeast.
Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the Kurdish faction in northern Syria and controls swathes of Syrian territory along the border, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halt support for the Kurdish fighters.
Ankara had for years backed opposition groups looking to oust Assad and welcomed the end of his family's brutal five-decade rule after a 13-year civil war. Türkiye also hosts millions of Syrian migrants it hopes will start returning home after Assad's fall, and has vowed to help rebuild Syria.
Fidan said all international sanctions imposed against Assad must be lifted as soon as possible to help Syria start rebuilding, offering Ankara's assistance on matters such as infrastructure development.
Sharaa told Sunday's press conference his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.