Algeria, Cuba Discuss Boosting Ties

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune meeting with his Cuban counterpart in the Algerian capital on Thursday (presidency)
Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune meeting with his Cuban counterpart in the Algerian capital on Thursday (presidency)
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Algeria, Cuba Discuss Boosting Ties

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune meeting with his Cuban counterpart in the Algerian capital on Thursday (presidency)
Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune meeting with his Cuban counterpart in the Algerian capital on Thursday (presidency)

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune discussed Thursday with President of Cuba Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez at the presidential palace aspects of developing bilateral ties on economic and commercial levels.

The discussions came six months after the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The Algerian presidency said that the Cuban president visited Thursday the Martyrs Memorial, which is a historical monument that commemorates the Algerian Revolution (1954-1962) and the national struggle against French colonialism.

Government sources revealed that the Cuban president's visit seeks to embody the joint political will to reinforce economic cooperation and to exploit investment opportunities in priority sectors such as agriculture, the food industry, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and tourism.

They agreed to signing an MoU on strengthening cooperation in the medical sector in January, which coincides with the meeting of the high joint committee for Algerian-Cuban cooperation.

In 2023, the two countries will commemorate the 60s anniversary of sending a Cuban medical mission to Algeria to help the government build a healthcare system after it gained its independence

Five years ago, Algeria and Cuba signed an agreement to establish an Algerian-Cuban business council and to draw a road map to act as the foundation of economic cooperation.

Algerian Minister of Health Abdelhak Saihi and his Cuban counterpart Jose Angel Portal also agreed on exploring new partnership opportunities to expand cooperation in other fields.



At Least 15 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church

A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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At Least 15 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church

A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

At least 15 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday, security sources said.

Syria's interior ministry said the suicide bomber was an ISIS member. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest, the ministry added in a statement.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up.

Syria's state news agency cited the health ministry as putting the preliminary casualty toll at nine dead and 13 injured.

Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.

A livestream from the site by Syria's civil defense, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction from within the church, including a bloodied floor and shattered church pews and masonry.

Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack.

“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he said in a post on X. “We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship ... and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.”