Afrasianet - Algeria is considered a key link in Russia's Maghreb and even African politics, not only as a result of the old ideological considerations that characterize Algerian-Russian relations since Algeria's independence, but also to work to develop economic interests by focusing on three main sectors: energy (oil and gas). technical cooperation in the industrial and development fields, and military cooperation.
Algerian-Russian relations have never been warmer than they are today, and Algeria is increasing its rapprochement with Moscow in an unprecedented way in various fields, especially the military field.
According to Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, preparations are in full swing for President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's visit to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed, during his surprise visit to Algeria last May, that the two countries will sign during the meeting of the two presidents a new strategic document, which will be the basis for future relations between the two countries.
Political analyst Elias Mohammadi believes, in his interview with the Arab Post, that Tebboune's visit to Russia, if it takes place, will be the most important for him since he assumed power in late 2019.
In the same context, the Russian newspaper "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" said, "The visit of the Algerian leader, referring to Abdelmadjid Tebboune, will be a test of the West's patience with Algeria."
On the other hand, American voices are being raised to deter Algeria and impose sanctions on it to curb its rapprochement with Moscow, as 27 congressmen signed a petition calling on the Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to impose sanctions on Algeria because of its close relations with Moscow, based on the CAATSA law that he approved. US Senate in August 2017.
The law includes 3 countries that Washington considers "enemies", namely Russia, Iran and North Korea, as sanctions are imposed on them and those who cooperate with them militarily.
What does Algeria want?
Algeria has always expressed its distrust of the West through its positions rejecting its strategic directions. It opposed the occupation of Iraq and military intervention in Libya, Mali and the Sahel. It also refused to condemn Russia in its war on Ukraine, and supported China along the line in the Taiwan conflict.
Political analyst Elias Mohamedi believes, in his statement to the "Arab Post", that Algeria is steadily getting closer to Russia whenever it feels the West's increasing influence in its vital field.
The Russian newspaper "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" indicated that Algeria is among the 3 largest importers of Russian weapons in the world, and it cannot easily dispense with Russian weapons, even if it wanted in light of the burning of its southern and eastern borders and its great disagreement with its western neighbor, Morocco.
Last May, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, suddenly visited Algeria and announced from there Tebboune's visit to Putin.
Algeria also announced at the time that it was not going to play the role of an alternative to Russia in the field of gas, after Europe decided to dispense with it and search for an alternative.
Algeria abstained in the United Nations General Assembly on a resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Political analyst Ali Othmani considered Algeria's positions normal in view of the strategic relations that bind the two countries, stressing that the longer the war in Ukraine lasts, the relationship between the two countries will be exposed to real tests.
On the other hand, the outgoing term of US President Donald Trump caused severe damage to Algerian-American relations, and the title of the deterioration of Algerian-American relations was his sudden recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, in return for the peace agreement with Israel.
Despite the assertion of the Algerian and American parties that the relationship between the two countries is distinguished, Algeria remained outside Trump’s accounts, and complex intersections and sharp differences of viewpoints on security and regional issues surfaced from time to time, and the first undeclared conflict between the two countries in the Libyan file emerged after that. Washington refused to support the succession of the Algerian Ramtane Lamamra to the Lebanese Ghassan Salame, who resigned from his post as UN envoy to Libya in early March for health reasons.
The Western Sahara file was the drop that overflowed the cup after Trump hit, the American support for the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination was thrown against the wall, and he recognized the Moroccanness of Western Sahara.
The apathy between Washington and Algeria also included cooperation between the two countries in the military field, as armament deals between the two countries were non-existent at a time when Algeria was ranked among the top five buyers of Russian weapons, as the percentage of equipment the country receives from Russia exceeds nearly 80 percent, while Morocco is ranked as the first customer of US arms in the North African region.
American investments in Algeria have not achieved the required level for the Americans due to the fierce competition it faces with China, Russia and even Turkey, which has entered the line in recent years. Official statistics reveal that the volume of American investments in Algeria amounted to only $14 billion since 2014.
And as soon as Algeria confirmed the victory of the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune offered his "warm congratulations to the new president of America", and assured him in a congratulatory telegram of his readiness to work with him to "consolidate bilateral relations" and "raise the challenges" facing the two countries within the framework of dialogue. strategy between them.
Today, after Biden, the Algerian street is wondering about the future of Algerian-American relations, which did not receive a wide range of attention, at a time when Algeria has set its compass towards the Russian bear and the Chinese giant, which have become a source of great concern for America.
Divergence of opinions
The opinions of experts and observers of the international scene differed about the prospects for relations between the two countries, between those who believe that the road will not be strewn with roses and that Biden will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, who blew up relations with Algeria in the last days of his rule, and those who believe that Biden will be more flexible and rational to achieve American strategic interests. basic and address the rise of its opponents in the country such as Russia and China.
Diplomatic contact with Algeria was low or even non-existent, with the exception of the last visit that US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper made in October 2020, the first visit by an influential military official in 15 years.
It is expected that Biden will adopt the same strategy adopted by his predecessor in the White House, Donald Trump, as his interest has focused mainly on preserving the investments and trade relations formed by former US President Barack Obama.
The US president will work to maintain strategic economic relations, especially in the energy sector and heavy industries. This represents a difficult challenge for Biden, given the strong competition he will face from countries that have wrested leadership from America in this region, such as China and Turkey, and especially Russia. As energy issues have become crucial for the West.
America does not care about the destinies of peoples or governments. It has always abandoned those who were its allies for its own sake, and now it knows how bad the decisions it is forcing Europe to take against Russia and its destructive effects on Europe, but as the only one who benefits most, it pushes for more of these decisions.
The political analyst and expert in international law, Ismail Khalafallah, went in the same direction, commenting that the Algerian-American relations had cooled in light of the divergence of positions regarding what is happening in Libya and Western Sahara, as it became clear that America was behind the opposition to the appointment of former Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra. As a UN envoy to Libya, and years before that, specifically in 2015, I withdrew the rounds of dialogue between the Libyan brothers from Algeria and transferred them to the Moroccan city of Skhirat.
Ismail Khalafallah told TRT Arabi that the intensity of the dissonance worsened after Trump recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, a decision that made matters worse and showed the US administration's entrenchment with Morocco in this file.
Perhaps it is in America's interest to have good relations with Algeria, because America is maneuvering in order to confront the Russian and Chinese tide, and Algeria has close relations with these two countries.
The new US administration, led by Biden, will seek to surround the incursion of its powerful competitors in Algeria and all the countries of the Maghreb, but Algeria, which has always been faithful in its relations, will certainly not be drawn into the American trap that only wants oil and gas and nothing else.