Algeria Did Not Ask for Programming Lamamra’s Visit to Tehran

Diplomatic sources denied the visit of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Ramtane Lamamra, to the Iranian capital Tehran, with confirmation of continued consultations between the two countries, in several files, especially the Syrian crisis, and the establishment of the Iranian investments in Algeria.

A senior diplomatic source told Echorouk that Algeria did not ask for programming the minister Lamamra’s visit to Tehran and visits are made in accordance with the approved procedures, as the Foreign Ministry should make the request to the Iranian embassy in Algiers.

Clarifications of the source came after allegations about the imminent visit of Lamamra to Tehran, and are done according to the approved measures, as the Foreign Ministry in Algeria should give a request to the Iranian Embassy in Algiers.

Other sources spoke about programming the visit after the visit of the Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, to Russia, last week, as the Algerian diplomatic official should travel directly from Moscow to Tehran.

Apart from the visit of the diplomatic representative of Algeria to Tehran, our speaker confirmed the existence of continuous contacts and coordination between the two countries, especially in the Syrian file, despite the significant variation in the positions of the two countries towards Assad’s regime, as Algeria calls for a peaceful solution to the crisis, while the Iranian support for Assad is clear, to the point of sending a large number of military personnel to fight, but the Iranian authorities say it does not exceed “providing military advice” and “protection of religious shrines.”

Second file, which is under coordination, is related to the Iranian investments in Algeria, where Iran is expected to create a project for the installation of Iranian cars in Algeria, in partnership with a very known Algerian businessman, in the transport sector, and importing cars from different international brands, and the establishment of an airline between the two countries.

Algerian-Iranian relationships noticed an apparent “convergence” in the last two years, that is translated by visits of senior Iranian officials to Algeria, through the Deputies of Foreign Minister, Amir Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and after him Murtaza Sarmadi, who visited Algeria as an envoy of President Hassan Rowhani, coinciding with the military action that is led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, and then the visit of Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif last September.

Technical cooperation between the two countries ended with holding the senior joint committee of the two countries, through which agreements in the fields of automobile, roads, agriculture, industry, mining and petrochemical industry, and in the other side Iran has offered to Algeria, during a visit by Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, the participation in the war on Daesh organization, as the offer came from the Supreme Leader of Revolution, Ali Khamenei, and both countries did not join the Islamic Alliance, which is led by Saudi Arabia in the war on terrorism.