This is the first time since former President Bouteflika’s trip to Moscow in 2008 that an Algerian president has been received for an official visit to Russia. Russia, which gave the visit of the Algerian president a special brilliance. On Wednesday, the Russian President’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, had already described the visit as ” historic event “. Since ties with Western countries have deteriorated considerably, those with countries perceived as friendly by Russia are particularly celebrated.
With our correspondent in Moscow, Anissa El Jabri
This is one of the important steps in the intense Russian diplomatic effort to prepare for the Russia-Africa summit at the end of July in Saint Petersburg. “ We will be happy to see you there said Vladimir Putin to his counterpart under the golds of the Kremlin. But it is above all the celebration of a bilateral relationship that counts for Moscow, and that has been seen. Vladimir Putin like Abdelmadjid Tebboune will be at the economic summit in Saint Petersburg, but it is in Moscow, in the room of the Kremlin reserved for important official trips, that the Russian president has chosen to hold this bilateral meeting. Other signs of the weight given to the Moscow-Algiers relationship: were also present this Thursday at the ministers of defense and foreign affairs, and images of the meeting as well as welcome remarks were broadcast live on Russian television.
There is of course in this relationship the weight of history, which Vladimir Putin once again recalled: When we walked through the room with Mr. President, we remembered that relations between Algeria and Russia began to develop in the mid-1950s. »
The struggle for Algerian independence as a founding cement
The struggle for Algerian independence remains a founding cement. But the commercial ties between the two gas powers, the strategic ties too, will deepen further. This appears – among other things – in black and white in the text published on the Kremlin website: joint military maneuvers and exercises will be organized between the two gas powers.
Above all, Russia wants to challenge the idea that it is isolated on the international scene. And with this visit, wants to heal its allies in multilateral bodies. ” I would also like to note that the Russian-Algerian coordination within multilateral formats and organizations is also at a good level. Our constructive interaction in other UN fora continues, including with Algeria’s election to the Security Council in 2024. I hope this interaction will only intensify. »
Role of Algeria
Transparent message: Russia hopes to benefit from the repercussions of this diplomatic success of Algeria. Before the visit to Moscow of several African heads of state who are in favor of African mediation to end the conflict in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin also underlined the role of Algeria as a member of the contact group of the Arab League on Ukraine. The Russian President said to himself, grateful to Algeria and the Algerian President for being ready to provide mediation services “.
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