Algeria and Saudi Arabia are rapidly pursuing closer strategic alignment and coordination. Driven by increasing regional convergences on geopolitical and geo-security issues across the Arab and Islamic space, which extends into the Afro-Asian sphere, the trajectory of this bilateral relationship is grounded in a history of mutual respect. This respect has long underpinned the two countries’ approach to bilateral engagement and managing disputes, allowing them to maintain strong ties even when they diverged at particular junctures. It has also been reinforced by both sides’ ability to manage the contradictions in their relations with other regional actors on highly sensitive issues.
The recent visit of Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud to Algeria was exceptional because of the context. It was amid rapid regional shifts that have major geopolitical repercussions, impelling both countries to strengthen security cooperation with greater urgency. Such cooperation is not new; it has been prominent in the past, and current conditions are likely to deepen it further.
The international system is increasingly governed by the logic of power, undermining institutional frameworks and legal regimes. At the same time, strategic ambiguity is aggravating. In this environment, regional powers, especially those facing transnational security challenges, risk isolation. Algeria and Saudi Arabia are concerned by the frailty of the regional order that creates these risks, especially in light of the deep crises within the Arab regional system. Some states are grappling with chronic domestic crises that threaten the future of the state, and fragmentation is a growing threat. At the same time, two opposing projects are increasingly competing, and the gap between them is widening, with no signs of an imminent change in direction. One project seeks to reshape the current geopolitical order through fragmentation, backing secessionist non-state actors to achieve its goals. The other aspires to stability and seeks to prevent disintegration. This project supports state institutions in fragile security environments where fragility could turn into state failure; Algeria and Saudi Arabia stand out as key members of this camp.
Regarding the advancement of the strategic partnership, Algeria promotes an approach of “integration” rather than bloc politics. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stressed that “the Kingdom’s security is a component of Algeria's security” in remarks about the growing relations between the two brotherly states. His statement reflects a shared firm conviction that bilateral cooperation must be intensified and that the current international and regional context raises critical challenges to national and regional security. State sovereignty is increasingly under strain, and new forms of international engagement that break with traditional frameworks are emerging.
Re-engineering the horizons of Algerian–Saudi partnership demands a different, integrative approach. Bloc alignments and sharp polarization must be averted, as it carries long-term costs. Adopting an intentional approach is the way forward toward a more cohesive network of relations. More importantly, this process should lay the foundations for a more stable regional balance in a fast-changing regional and international environment. This can be achieved by drawing on the historical depth of bilateral ties, and it also requires strengthening shared conceptions of mutual challenges. The costs of confronting these challenges without regard for consensus frameworks must be recognized. Joint action is needed, bilateral and multilateral, including the revival of the Joint Arab Defense Treaty, as most Arab states implicitly share the two countries’ goals.
Regional convergences between Saudi Arabia and Algeria reinforce this project. They first appeared in the Libyan crisis, where their approaches to a settlement largely coincide. The same is true for Sudan, where both sides view Sudan’s state institutions as the only legitimate actors to engage with and support. Their policy seeks to counter the projects to dismantle states, which we also see in Yemen and the Horn of Africa, where the two countries have also voiced similar positions.
The Sahel’s complex and multi-layered crises, amid rapid reconfiguration of spheres of influence, are creating a web of transnational challenges. It is another arena for expanding Algerian–Saudi partnership in light of the vacuum created by the retreat of France’s colonial influence. At the same time, the region has geopolitical and geostrategic implications for Algerian national security. As Algeria’s relations with Sahel states gradually improve, its options may extend to building a network of supportive regional engagement, and Saudi Arabia can play a role in facilitating this effort.
As for the Palestinian cause, cooperation under the OPEC umbrella, and coordination in the global energy market, these are fundamental areas of longstanding bilateral alignment. There is no room for dispute or deviation from the consensus. Algeria and Saudi Arabia have stated clearly that there will be no normalization with Israel before the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state. Coordination in the global energy market is also a longstanding pillar of their relations, as both countries seek to preserve OPEC’s role as the main framework for coordination among oil-exporting states.
In terms of supreme national interests, security stands out, and it is expected to be the main theme of discussions as bilateral cooperation intensifies, with a focus on regional security and the integrity of the nation-state. The rapid reconfiguration of spheres of influence underscores the importance of the geopolitical dimension in bilateral cooperation, and joint action to push back against the fragmentation projects being drawn for the region will be a central pillar of the partnership going forward.
Although security will remain a priority until conditions change, the greater aspiration is to grow together through a comprehensive strategic economic partnership. The leaders of both countries recognise this and understand the immense potential of this partnership. Success in this pursuit also demands redesigning the frameworks of economic cooperation and translating political will into viable plans. These steps should be worthy of Algeria and Saudi Arabia’s shared ambition to ground a sustainable strategic partnership in the economy.
