The two countries are determined to maintain strong relations, according to Dmitry Patrushev
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Wednesday to discuss plans to strengthen cooperation between the countries.
The talks, aimed at boosting ties in several sectors, including finance, energy, and agriculture, are part of Patrushev’s working visit to Algiers, according to a press release published on the Russian government website. The meeting came on the same day that Russia’s new ambassador to Algeria, Aleksey Solomatin, presented his credentials to Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf.
“We highly value the strategic nature of our countries’ relations. This is evidenced, among other things, by the closeness of our positions on most points of the international and regional agenda. And we are determined to maintain close coordination between our countries,” Patrushev stated.
The Algerian government has been bolstering ties with Moscow in recent years as part of efforts to diversify its economy amid deteriorating relations with France. In August, the oil-rich former French colony joined the BRICS New Development Bank.
Algiers reportedly barred French companies from competing for a wheat import contract last October and warned participants not to supply grain produced in France. At the time, the state-owned Algerian Inter-professional Office of Cereals reportedly tendered a purchase contract for over 500,000 tons of wheat and turned to Russia as its main supplier.
In mid-January, Reuters cited French officials as saying that Algeria is adopting a policy that aims to wipe its former colonial power’s economic presence from the country. According to the news agency, trade between them has fallen by up to 30% since the summer.
Russian agro-industrial product exports to Algeria increased to $850 million in 2024, Patrushev announced during an intergovernmental Russian-Algerian Commission meeting in Algiers.
Fragile relations between Paris and its former colony began deteriorating in July, when French President Emmanuel Macron reversed his country’s decades-long diplomatic stance and endorsed a controversial Moroccan autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Algiers, which supports the sparsely populated region’s independence, has recalled its ambassador from Paris. President Tebboune canceled a previously scheduled official visit to France amid the feud.
Earlier this month, Algeria’s Foreign Ministry criticized Paris for its “unacceptable and blatant interference” after Macron said Algiers was “dishonoring itself” by detaining French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. President Tebboune has labeled Sansal, who has been held since late last year for “attacking territorial integrity,” as a French “imposter.”
On January 15, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told lawmakers that Paris will in the “coming days” decide on a response to Algeria’s “hostile posture.”
