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.



Syrian Security Forces Detain Cousin of Toppled Leader Assad

A giant picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad lies on the ground as a Syrian opposition fighter stands nearby, inside the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A giant picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad lies on the ground as a Syrian opposition fighter stands nearby, inside the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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Syrian Security Forces Detain Cousin of Toppled Leader Assad

A giant picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad lies on the ground as a Syrian opposition fighter stands nearby, inside the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A giant picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad lies on the ground as a Syrian opposition fighter stands nearby, inside the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syria's security forces have detained Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of toppled leader Bashar al-Assad, state news agency SANA said on Saturday.

Wassim al-Assad was sanctioned by the United States in 2023 for leading a paramilitary force backing Assad's army and for trafficking drugs including the amphetamine-like drug captagon, Reuters said.

Bashar al-Assad was toppled by the opposition factions in December and fled to Moscow. Most of his family members and inner circle either fled Syria or went underground.

Syria’s new security forces have been pursuing members of the former administration - mainly those involved in the feared security branches accused of rights abuses.

Rights groups have called for a fully-fledged transitional justice process to hold them to account.