“Algeria-Russia-Syria Axis” versus “France-Gulf Countries’ Alliance”

A turning point has of late been conducted in the active Algerian diplomacy in shoring up Syria in a bid to help it get out of its protracted isolation on the world scene after the latter was “blacklisted” by some hostile countries since its war unleashed against the terrorism scourge.

And thereby the relations between Algeria and Syria have never been interrupted throughout the aggression against the Syrian nation with Algeria adopting a very different position towards Syria unlike some other countries.

To recall, Algeria has always supported Syria, like other countries, especially on the Arab scene, a clear-cut support reiterated by the Minister for Maghreb Affairs, the African Union and the Arab League, Abdelkader Messahel, who reiterated during his recent visit to Damascus, the first by an Arab minister since the Syrian crisis, Algeria’s full solidarity with Syria in its current ordeal, while stressing the importance of fostering dialogue and reconciliation to resolve the Syrian crisis.

It was the same message conveyed by the Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, who was received earlier this month in Algiers by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to whom he handed a message from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The head of the Syrian diplomacy told the press after the encounter that he had listened to “the well-meaning views of President Bouteflika, a statesman who loves Syria and who wants it to defeat terrorism and to recover its salient role in the region and in the world at large”, as he put it.

In addition, analysts point to the official visit on Wednesday to Russia, a genuine strategic ally of Syria, by Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal. Indeed, the latter will pay an official visit to Moscow (Russian Federation) on 27 and 28 April, at the invitation of the head of the Russian Government Dmitry Medvedev.

This visit will allow the Algerian Prime Minister to meet with the highest Russian authorities in order to review the state of bilateral relations and prospects for their consolidation and the visit will also be crowned with the signing of several bilateral cooperation agreements.

Moreover, Algiers and Moscow argue that the settlement of any international crisis must tally with the norms of international law, the UN Charter and the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states by precluding any untoward foreign interference in their domestic affairs.