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.



Israel Ready to Negotiate Permanent Gaza Ceasefire during 60-day Truce, Netanyahu Says

09 July 2025, US, Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking with the press at the US Capitol in Washington. Photo: Douglas Christian/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
09 July 2025, US, Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking with the press at the US Capitol in Washington. Photo: Douglas Christian/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Israel Ready to Negotiate Permanent Gaza Ceasefire during 60-day Truce, Netanyahu Says

09 July 2025, US, Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking with the press at the US Capitol in Washington. Photo: Douglas Christian/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
09 July 2025, US, Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking with the press at the US Capitol in Washington. Photo: Douglas Christian/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will likely have a ceasefire agreement with Hamas to release more Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group. 

Netanyahu said 50 hostages were still being held captive by Hamas. Of that figure, he said, only 20 are believed to be alive. 

"I want to take them all out. We now have a deal that supposedly will get half of the living and half of the dead out," Netanyahu said in an interview on Newsmax show "The Record with Greta Van Susteren" that aired on Thursday. 

"And so we'll have 10 living left and about 12 deceased hostages, but I'll get them out, too. I hope we can complete it in a few days." 

On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's retaliation has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble. 

The two sides have had two ceasefires - one in November 2023 and another in January 2025- since the fighting started. 

Netanyahu said Israel and Hamas will likely have a 60-day ceasefire, which the two sides could use to try to end the conflict. 

Hamas said on Wednesday there were several sticking points in the ongoing ceasefire talks including the flow of aid, withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and "genuine guarantees for a permanent ceasefire." 

Netanyahu's interview with Newsmax comes as he wraps his third visit to Washington since President Donald Trump took office in January. 

Speaking of Trump, the Israeli leader said his country has never had "such a friend, such a support of Israel, the Jewish state in the White House." 

Last month, the US joined Israel in striking Iran, a move that Trump has said "obliterated" three of Iran's nuclear sites. 

When asked about a damage assessment, Netanyahu said, "Within months, they could have produced atomic bombs."