Tebboune at the St. Petersburg Forum: “Algerians Were Born Free…”

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TheMaghrebTimes.com
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President Abdelmadjid Tebboune began a  three-day working visit to Russia on Tuesday amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West over the war in Ukraine.

Received, Thursday, June 15, by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, President Tebboune launched a few messages with strong deaths. The Head of State reiterated Algeria’s friendship with Russia, which “must not depend” on changes in the world.

He thanked the host country for its contribution to ensuring the security and sovereignty of Algeria, by being its main supplier of armaments.

This Friday, President Tebboune was the guest of honor at the Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city. A first for an Algerian head of state.

President Tebboune did not fail to send messages on Algeria’s determination to choose its economic and political partners, within the framework of its policy of non-alignment.

“I answer with one sentence. Algerians were born free and will remain so,” he answered a question about the pressure Western countries would put on Algeria to stop buying arms from Russia.

Tebboune highlights the economic attractiveness of Algeria

Last September, American parliamentarians appealed to  Secretary of State Antony Blinken to impose sanctions on Algeria for its relations with Russia, particularly in the military field. Their argument: Algeria’s purchases of Russian arms contribute to financing Russia’s war machine in Ukraine.

In addition to Western pressure, President Tebboune expressed “Algeria’s wish to join the “as soon as possible” to the BRICS group which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This membership will allow the Algerian economy to “free itself from certain pressures”, he said.

At the St. Petersburg Forum, President Tebboune highlighted Algeria’s economic attractiveness, listing the advantages. Algeria is a “country which has no external debt unlike neighboring and African countries”.

President Tebboune spoke of a growth rate of 4.3% and an attractive investment code, of which all the implementing texts have been promulgated. “Algeria is experiencing an important phase of development and it is a promising destination for investment because of the advantages and incentives offered to investors”, launched the President of the Republic.