Algeria is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the glorious War of Liberation. This occasion gives me a pleasant opportunity to evoke two major realities: “a glorious past and a promising future.” First, we remember on this very symbolic date and with great pride the sacrifices made by the Algerian people during their armed struggle against the colonial hegemony, whose doctrine was to rule our blessed land forever before being annihilated by freedom-loving revolutionaries who embraced the cause and, on November 1954, marked out the path taken by the valiant heroes toward victory or death as martyrs.
Second, we praise the current determination of our beloved people and its ambitious youth, who are carrying the torch of completing the national march toward a new Algeria, great in its potential, and the genius of its daughters and sons, strong and proud of their national history. Algeria is determined to achieve the highest levels of socio-economic development through the mobilization of resources and building strong partnerships with friendly countries based on common views and mutual interests.
Algerian-Turkish relations are a role model of this, so partnership and cooperation are welcomed. The ties between the two countries have witnessed remarkable development at various levels and have remarkably accelerated since 2020. The numerous reciprocal visits between the presidents of the republic and the setting up of a high-level cooperation mechanism, recently upgraded to “strategic” status, constituted an important milestone in the course of these relations and contributed to significantly strengthening and moving forward toward close and joint cooperation.
It is worth mentioning that if the current relations between the two countries enjoy increasing momentum, they are not historically new. They are rooted in the depths of history, as Algeria and Türkiye share distinctive friendly, civilizational and political ties, and the history of the North African and Mediterranean region is replete with great achievements and heroic moments shared by the two countries.
One of the most visible areas of this strategic cooperation is the economic sector. We notice an increasing development in this field reflected in the volume of bilateral trade, which reached more than $5.3 billion in 2023, bringing the two countries closer to raising their trade exchanges to $10 billion, according to the goals set by the presidents, Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Hence, Türkiye has become Algeria’s fifth-largest trading partner, and Algeria has become Türkiye’s second-largest partner on the African continent.
Meantime, Algeria has become the top destination for Turkish direct investments worth more than $6 billion, making Türkiye the first foreign investor in Algeria outside the hydrocarbon sector. The 1,500 Turkish companies operating in Algeria have expanded their activities to include important sectors such as iron and steel, textiles, public works and desert agriculture. This partnership now includes new areas such as renewable energies, mines, the pharmaceutical industry, culture, higher education and health.
As an example of the fruitful partnership between the two countries, the Tosyalı Iron and Steel Complex, whose investments in Algeria amounted to $2.7 billion, is one of the leading steel manufacturers in Africa and internationally. It is now exporting its products from Algeria to 25 countries and is currently working to expand its activities to other areas. The Algerian-Turkish company Tayal is another example of a fruitful partnership, as it has achieved remarkable success since its establishment in 2018. Ranking among the largest textile factories in Africa, it is currently exporting its products to several countries in Africa, Europe and Latin America.
On the other hand, and to take advantage of the comparative advantages of both countries, a joint venture was launched between the Algerian hydrocarbon company Sonatrach and the Turkish company Rönesans to establish a petrochemical complex in Türkiye’s Adana region at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion. This project is expected to support other partnerships between the two countries in the energy sector that align with the joint strategy in this field.
Given the long shared history between the two countries and the deep civilizational ties between them, the cultural aspect of this relationship had to be considered. In response to the wishes of the two peoples, the two presidents have agreed to reciprocally open cultural centers in Algiers and Istanbul. They also recognized the importance of working together in the field of Ottoman archives to explore and document the common history and deepen mutual understanding of the common past.
At the international level, Algeria and Türkiye have a remarkable consensus on the most important regional and international issues, particularly on the war in Palestine and Lebanon, for which both countries are prominent advocates.
Despite the challenges facing bilateral relations, the future prospects look promising, as both countries enjoy many advantages that qualify them to play an effective role in their respective regions. On Sept. 7, Algeria once again successfully completed a new democratic process, which saw President Abdelmadjid Tebboune reelected for a second term and which will enable him to upgrade his ambitious program for a “new Algeria” by building on the achievements already accomplished during his first mandate. These achievements are reflected in the economic indicators and highlighted by its classification by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the third largest economy in Africa for the year 2023, with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) of $266.78 billion, with growth expected to reach 3.8% by the end of the year. Algeria expects a GDP of $400 billion by mid-2026, with a growth rate of more than 4%. These expectations are supported by significant domestic investment, with the registration of 9,000 projects worth nearly $25 billion. The economy is seeing improved performance in the industrial and agricultural sectors, with the industry’s contribution to GDP expected to grow from 7.5% in 2023 to 9.3% by 2026 and agriculture exceeding 5%. On the other hand, the focus is currently on the knowledge economy and digitization to include all sectors, with the establishment of business incubators and training in several fields, most notably artificial intelligence, to keep pace with new economies based on modern technologies and innovations.
Algerian-Turkish relations are a successful example of how to build strong and sustainable ties between countries based on shared history, common vision and mutual interests. By strengthening cooperation in various fields, the two countries can continue to achieve further progress and development for the benefit of their people and their region.
*Ambassador of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria