Algeria Requests to Join BRICS

The Foreign Ministers of Algeria and China in New York on Saturday, September 24, 2022. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
The Foreign Ministers of Algeria and China in New York on Saturday, September 24, 2022. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
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Algeria Requests to Join BRICS

The Foreign Ministers of Algeria and China in New York on Saturday, September 24, 2022. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
The Foreign Ministers of Algeria and China in New York on Saturday, September 24, 2022. (Algerian Foreign Ministry)

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed Algeria's request to join the BRICS economic group, as an effort to join major powers.

This came during a meeting Saturday between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi with his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra on the sidelines of the ongoing 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Russia had previously welcomed this step, which President Abdelmadjid Tebboune considered key to distancing Algiers “from the differences between the two global poles.”

Wi stressed that Algeria is a “great developing country and a representative of emerging economies.”

He said Beijing supports Algiers’ efforts to make the upcoming Arab League summit a success. Algeria is schedule to host the AL summit on November 1 and 2.

Wi added that his country “is ready to work with Algeria to play a constructive role in achieving global peace and development.”

Algeria has been looking for new economic and political alliances to replace its 2005 Association Agreement with the European Union, which it considers a “failed bet.”

BRICS group is composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Beijing and Moscow cast it as a powerful emerging market alternative to the West.

The term BRIC describes the startling rise of Brazil, Russia, India, China. The BRIC powers had their first summit in 2009 in Russia. South Africa joined in 2010.

The group accounts for more than 40% of the world's population and about 26% of the global economy.

On September 7, Tebboune stated that his country is interested in joining the group given that it represents an “economic and political power.”

He pointed out that his country’s potential membership could “happen fast.”

He further stressed on Saturday that Algeria “seeks to raise its national income in a way that enables it to join the BRICS group,” noting that it is working to achieve this goal.

Tebboune pointed out that the government is determined to export $7 billion of non-hydrocarbon products by late 2022, which, according to his estimation, qualifies it to be part of the major powers.



Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
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Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, calling for unity in the country.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said, raising an earlier toll of 22 killed.

The authorities said the attacker was affiliated with the Islamic State group.

"We promise... that we will work night and day, mobilising all our specialized security agencies, to capture all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and to bring them to justice," Sharaa said in a statement, AFP reported.

The attack "reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity of the government and the people in facing all that threatens our nation's security and stability", he added.

Condemnation has continued to pour in from the international community after the attack -- the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor, in a country where security remains one of the new authorities' greatest challenges.

Since the new authorities took power, the international community has repeatedly urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.