The opening of this preparatory meeting was co-chaired by the Director General for Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, Mr. Toufik Djouama, and the Director of the Department for the Development of Bilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Mr. Pavel Kalmychek, in the presence of the Algerian Ambassador to Russia, Mr. Boumédiène Guennad, the Chargé d'Affaires at the Russian Embassy, Mr. Alexey Kotcheshkov, as well as executives and experts representing various ministerial departments, organizations and companies from both sides.
In a speech delivered at the opening of the proceedings, Mr. Djouama indicated that this session was part of the "strengthening of dialogue and high-level consultation between the two countries, the consolidation of the framework of bilateral cooperation and the strengthening of ties between Algerian and Russian companies."
The organization of this meeting takes place in "a very positive bilateral context characterized by an upward dynamic in bilateral relations, through the important measures taken in recent years by Algeria and Russia, thanks to our common commitment to strengthen our promising bilateral relations, under the leadership of Presidents Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Vladimir Putin," he stressed.
This session represents a "new opportunity to consolidate the foundations of bilateral cooperation and deepen economic and technical cooperation in several areas of common interest," added Mr. Djouama.
He also recalled the Declaration of Deep Strategic Partnership signed by the presidents of the two countries, during the official visit made in June 2023 to Russia by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, which, he said, "breathed new impetus into bilateral relations, giving them a deeper strategic dimension".
Based on this deep-rooted desire to establish a mutually beneficial partnership, Mr. Djouama invited Russian companies to invest in Algeria and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the new investment law, as well as the incentive measures taken by the authorities to encourage foreign direct investment, stressing that Algeria's membership in the African Continental Free Trade Area makes the country "an ideal gateway to the African market."
For his part, the Director of the Department for the Development of Bilateral Cooperation at the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, Mr. Pavel Kalmychek, reaffirmed his country's desire "to deepen bilateral cooperation and extend the areas of partnership with Algeria to several economic, scientific and cultural sectors", recalling that "Algeria is one of Russia's main partners and an important country in Africa".
He also noted "important opportunities to expand dialogue and cooperation with Algeria", highlighting "the interest of Russian companies in investing in Algeria and signing other agreements in several economic areas in order to increase the volume of trade between the two countries".
The Russian official further stressed the importance of cooperation in the field of higher education between Russian and Algerian universities, specifying that his country was willing to extend this cooperation through agreements between universities to host students and researchers.
The participants of this preparatory meeting will focus, for two days, on the assessment of the implementation of the decisions resulting from the 11th session of the Joint Commission held in Moscow on October 25-26, 2023.
Working groups will be formed to examine and discuss several issues and proposals for cooperation and partnership, as well as ways to strengthen and diversify this cooperation.
The two sides are working to strengthen cooperation and partnership relations and bilateral investments in the sectors of agriculture, rural development and fisheries, trade, industry, energy and mining, finance, transport, public works and infrastructure, housing and urban planning, higher education and scientific research, education, post and telecommunications, health, tourism and crafts, as well as the environment.
The work of this session will culminate in the signing of a report defining a common roadmap for economic, commercial, scientific and technical cooperation between the two countries.