Will French foreign minister meet his Syrian counterpart in Algeria?

Syrian foreign minister Oualid Muallem said Algeria and Syria are in the same battle against terror and foreign interference in countries’ domestic affairs. He hoped that victories achieved by the Syrian army would have an impact on the political situation. “The Syrian government did not abandon the possibility of a political solution but without any foreign interference,” he said.

The Syrian diplomat is in Algeria on a surprise visit. He met with senior officials and stressed the necessity of common actions to fight terrorism and reject foreign interference. He also highlighted coordination of positions in favour of the two countries.

The visit comes as the same time with the French foreign minister’s visit to Algiers. This raises the possibility that the two men “met in secret.”

Algiers has always preserved its relations with Damascus although it sympathizes with the Syrian revolution.

Algeria is one of the few Arab countries which still receive the Bachar Al Assad regime symbols. 

In November 2014, it received Syrian Parliament’s Speaker Mohamed Jihad Laham. In 2015, Syria’s Mufti Ahmed Hassoun paid a visit to Algeria.