The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, gave his periodic interview to representatives of the national media, on the sidelines of the ceremony he presided over on Wednesday on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day at the Center Conference Center (CIC) Abdelatif Rahal (Algiers).
During this meeting which, according to the APS, will be broadcast later, President Tebboune affirmed his willingness to “put all means at the disposal of national press titles without exception”. On occasion, he highlighted the need for journalists to organize themselves within the framework of trade unions. The Head of State also noted the importance of “showing a high sense of patriotism in writing articles and reviews”, which must, he pointed out, serve the national interest.
In the same context, the President of the Republic castigated the relentlessness of certain non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which constantly criticize Algeria and classify it among the countries which do not respect freedoms. Affirming that these are “unfounded allegations”, the Head of State assured that Algeria “believes in its children”. Some NGOs, like Reporters Without Borders (RSF), publish “rankings at the discretion of their leaders”, he underlined, affirming that the “only ranking to be taken into account is that of the UN and of its institutions. The diversity of press titles available in Algeria is comparable to that found in developed countries, he noted.
During the morning of the same day on Wednesday, President Tebboune chaired, at the CIC Abdelatif Rahal (Algiers), the ceremony to celebrate World Press Freedom Day (May 3). The ceremony was attended by the President of the Council of the Nation, Salah Goudjil, the President of the National People’s Assembly (APN), Brahim Boughali, the Prime Minister, Aïmene Benabderrahmane, the President of the Constitutional Court, Omar Belhadj, the Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army (ANP), Army General Saïd Chanegriha, members of the government, senior state officials, heads of media establishments, journalists, members of the Communication sector and representatives of the foreign press accredited in Algeria.
Among the guests was also the representative of the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Khaled Drareni, with whom President Tebboune had a courteous exchange. In a short video posted on his Twitter account, Khaled Drareni indicated that the President of the Republic was not opposed to the visit to Algeria by the secretary general of RSF. He added that he had hand-delivered a letter from his organization to the Head of State.
It should be noted that this is the first time that the authorities have celebrated World Press Freedom Day in the presence of journalists from all walks of life. At the end of the ceremony, the President of the Republic congratulated the journalists on the occasion of their World Day. He also exchanged with them on concerns about the information sector in Algeria. In a speech delivered on this occasion, the Minister of Communication, Mohamed Bouslimani, hailed the various reforms underway in the communication sector and the efforts made by the State to promote it, reaffirming Algeria’s support for the struggles of all free journalists and freedom-loving people in the world.
