Federation Council Speaker summed up the results of her official visit to Algeria.
“Algeria is Russia’s reliable partner in Africa and the Arab world and an important trade and economic partner. We intend to look for new economic cooperation opportunities and promote collaboration in most diverse areas, including industry, agriculture, energy, healthcare, cultural and humanitarian ties, and education. Our visit was dedicated to this work, among other things,” Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko told journalists as she summed up the results of her official visit to Algeria.
She had meetings with the heads of the upper and lower chambers of the Algerian parliament. During her conversation with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Valentina Matvienko gave him a letter from President of Russia Vladimir Putin with an invitation to visit the Russian Federation and attend the Second Russia-Africa Summit scheduled for July 2023 in St. Petersburg.
“Russian-Algerian collaboration is based on a firm foundation of mutual respect and an enduring and invariable friendship between our countries and peoples. The President of Algeria has clearly emphasised this,” the Speaker said.
Valentina Matvienko stressed in particular that Russian-Algerian relations did not depend on the influence of third countries and were of a consistent and predictable nature. “There is no need to defend them. They are so solid that there is no threat of anyone being able to destroy them.”
“It is quite important to know that your desire to map out a strategy for promoting relations with a country is shared by the latter and that your partner also intends to expand collaboration as much as possible. During my visit, our mutual interest in this was confirmed,” she said.
Speaking about the preparations for the Second Russia-Africa Summit, the Speaker noted that Russia has maintained its traditionally strong relations with the African continent.
“Our historical ties include Russia’s helping African countries in their national liberation struggle against colonialism and the predatory policies pursued by all colonial countries. Luckily, the Africans do not have a short memory. They readily acknowledge that Russia provided them assistance without strings attached, building factories and power plants and assisting in nation-building. This is why African countries treat Russia with respect and are keen on developing cooperation with it.”
She believes that the African continent’s potential is yet to be fully tapped. “Africa has made strides economically, scientifically and socially over the past decade. It is difficult to imagine how we will build a multipolar world with uniform and indivisible security without the African continent’s participation.”
Conscious of Africa’s prospects and potential, the Russian business community is showing interest in these countries, which is indicative of prospects for investment cooperation, the Speaker said. “It’s important that an economic forum will be held on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit. We expect that a large group of entrepreneurs from African countries will attend the summit, not only heads of state and politicians. Quite intense work is in progress to prepare the events.”
Valentina Matvienko also reminded her audience that the Second Russia-Africa International Parliamentary Conference would be held in Moscow on 19–20 March 2023. “This is a mechanism for involving the parliaments of Russia and African countries in practical work. The level of representation will be high. It is a fine opportunity for promoting both multilateral and bilateral parliamentary formats as well as contacts. I have plans for meetings with heads of foreign parliaments,” she told journalists.