2023-06-16 21:02:43
SAINT-PETERSBOURG (Russia)- Several members of the Algerian Government presented, on Friday on the sidelines of the Saint-Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the potential and great investment opportunities offered by the Algerian economy, able to promote the partnership and cooperation between Algeria and Russia, noting, moreover, the concern of the Algerian side to raise bilateral relations to the level of the capacities of the two countries.
These presentations were presented during a panel organized before the official opening of the Forum, in which the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, took part as guest of honor, as well as the Russian President Vladimir Putin, in addition to high-level assistance from nearly 130 countries, by the Minister of Trade and Export Promotion, Tayeb Zitouni, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohamed Abdelhafid Henni, Minister of Industry and Pharmaceutical Production, Ali Aoun, and Minister of Knowledge Economy, Start-ups and Micro-enterprises, Yacine El-Mahdi Oualid.
In this context, Mr. Zitouni underlined “the privileged historical relations between Algeria and Russia”, adding that the Algerian side aspires to raise them to the level of the capacities of the two countries.
Noting the “strategic” nature of the conventions and memorandums of understanding signed Thursday in Moscow by the two countries, the Minister of Commerce underlined the participation of more than 80 Algerian companies in the said forum, affirming in this regard the importance of state visit by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to Russia at the invitation of his Russian counterpart.
“We aspire to establish a dialogue with our Russian partners to achieve the establishment of new partnerships in the future in various sectors”, continued Mr. Zitouni who highlighted the potentialities and infrastructures of the Algerian economy which , in addition to being the pillar of national development, constitute the basis of partnership and cooperation and a factor of attractiveness of investments, like the modern road network, railway lines, airports and port infrastructures, in addition to the industrial fabric and human resources.
For his part, Mr. Henni, underlined the place occupied by the agricultural sector in the national economy, indicating that Algeria offers all the facilities and puts in place all the measures allowing national and foreign investors to realize their projects. in all sectors, particularly in the food industry.
Calling on Russian economic operators to invest in Algeria, the Minister reassured them as to the facilitations which will be granted to them, including agricultural land “far from bureaucratic complications”.
A new land portfolio of 437,000 hectares has been allocated for investment in the South, in addition to 60,000 authorizations to drill wells dedicated to agricultural irrigation as part of land development, in the South in particular, recalled Mr. .Henna.
Broad prospects for cooperation in the energy sector
Speaking in his turn, the Minister of Energy and Mines praised “the special relations” uniting Algeria and Russia in the various fields, in particular hydrocarbons, mines, renewable energies and the transfer of technology from desalination of sea water.
And to specify, in this context, that the oil group Sonatrach and Gazprom were working on the development of the Oum El Assel field south-east of Hassi Messaoud, qualifying it as “very successful”, knowing that the Algerian side was looking for partners Russians in oil and gas exploration.
Negotiations are underway with the two Russian firms Lukoil and Russneft, he added.
We are examining with Russian partners the possibility of developing mining projects in Algeria that bring added value, he said.
Referring to drinking water supply projects from non-conventional sources, the minister showed the interest shown by his sector in the partnership with Russian companies for the development and transfer of seawater desalination technologies.
In a statement to the Russia-Today channel on the sidelines of the forum, the CEO of the Sonatrach group, Toufik Hakkar affirmed that the Russian company “Gazprom” is a reliable partner, especially since there are other Russian companies in Algeria activating in the service sector and the construction of factories.
“Our relations with Russian companies do not only depend on prospecting and exploration. Gazprom is a reliable partner of Sonatrach”, he maintained.
During this meeting, the Minister of Industry and Pharmaceutical Production underlined the importance of commercial cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the field of drug production, citing ongoing negotiations between Russian and Algerian companies to realize new projects in the pharmaceutical field.
“Algeria aspires to become the gateway to Africa for Russian industrial products”, he said, noting “the similarity of the industrial field between the companies of the two countries, particularly in the mechanical sector”.
As for the Minister of the Knowledge Economy, Start-ups and Micro-enterprises, he indicated that digitization and modern information technologies constitute promising areas of partnership between Algerian and Russian operators, assuring that “The investment climate in Algeria is continuously improving”.
Thus, Algeria offers several advantages to new startups or those wishing to expand their activities, said Mr. Oualid, adding that the presence of the important ministerial delegation and Algerian companies at the Saint Petersburg forum “is a positive sign for investors. Russians” while calling on the Russian side to invest in Algeria, particularly in the field of information technology.
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