Algeria has multiple considerations to join BRICS

[Global Times correspondent in Algeria Wang Chuanbao] Editor's note: Since the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Algeria, a major African country, has become a focus country: European and American dignitaries have visited one after another, and even the Italian prime minister has visited Afghanistan twice in four months to "please"; On July 5, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of independence, Afghanistan held its first military parade in 38 years; Recently, military personnel were sent to Russia to participate in the "Vostok-2022" exercise... What is more noteworthy is that Algerian President Teben has repeatedly said that Afghanistan meets the relevant conditions required to enter the BRICS countries and is preparing plans to join the BRICS mechanism and contribute to promoting global development. What kind of country is Algeria, with an area of 2.38 million square kilometers and a population of more than 45 million? Since the Global Times reporter went to Algeria in February this year, in just half a year, he has gained more and more understanding of this "unique" country.

New Development Bank of the BRICS Image source ICphoto

Oil and gas power, the international status is becoming more and more important

The BBC website recently published an article entitled "Where does Algeria's intention to become a BRICS country's "bottom line"" come from, listing some of Algeria's advantages. Algeria is the largest country in Africa by land area. As a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the abundant oil and gas resources not only make Afghanistan's economy rank among the top in Africa, but also give it the "confidence" to actively participate in global governance. According to the data of the Argentine Ministry of Energy, Algeria's domestic oil reserves rank 15th in the world, and natural gas reserves rank 10th in the world. The Algerian Government is stepping up its exploration of oil and gas resources in the hinterland of the Sahara Desert. In July, the National Petroleum Corporation of Afghanistan announced the discovery of a natural gas field in the Iriz Basin. The company is also working with Italy's Eni to discover a new oil and gas field.

Algeria is separated from the European continent by the Mediterranean Sea, and its unique geographical advantages make Algeria an important energy supply place on the European continent. At present, Argentine natural gas is mainly exported to Europe through three pipelines, one of which is transported to Italy through the Mediterranean Sea, one is directly to Spain through the Mediterranean Sea, and the other is through Morocco through the Mediterranean Sea to Spain. According to the data, before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Afghanistan was the third largest supplier of natural gas in Europe, with a share of 12.8%. In Spain and Italy, 40% and 21% of natural gas, respectively, come from Algeria. At the same time, Algeria is working with West African countries to build the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline, a 4,128-kilometer-long gas pipeline that will deliver up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe every year.

Because of this, when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been pending for a long time, Western leaders and officials at all levels have traveled to Algeria to try to persuade the Arab side to help solve the problem of energy shortages. After the prime minister visited Afghanistan in April, he led a high-level delegation composed of foreign ministers, interior ministers, justice ministers and ecological transformation ministers to visit Afghanistan in July this year, and signed an agreement with the Arab side to purchase additional natural gas. In late August, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Afghanistan, and in addition to trying to resolve the contradictions caused by many historical problems between the two countries, the demand for gas supply from Afghanistan is also the main issue. Some foreign media commented that at the time of the great changes in the world energy and economic pattern in 2022, especially after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Algeria, a former French colony, seems to have suddenly become increasingly important on the international stage, "a clear visible evidence is that major countries and politicians have visited."

Independent diplomacy shows the confidence of regional powers

Last year, the Algerian scholar of international studies, Abidine Gabriel, published an article titled "Algeria's Foreign Policy: Between Hope and Reality" on the website of the American Institute of Middle East Studies, highlighting Afghanistan's use of national self-determination and anti-colonial causes as diplomatic tools to expand geopolitical influence. When France tightened its visa quotas for Algerian citizens, the Teben government mobilized a domestic countermeasure, showing its bold and assertive side. US Secretary of State Blinken paid a special visit to Afghanistan in March this year, talking first of all about the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and secondly, about the hot issues in Libya, Mali and other regions where Afghanistan plays an important role of mediation. However, in dealing with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Afghanistan stood on an independent diplomatic stand and called for a political solution to the crisis through dialogue and negotiation. Western countries have adopted a coercive tactic against Afghanistan in an attempt to pull it into the anti-Russian camp, but the Albanian side has refused.

In addition to participating in Russia's Vostok-2022 exercise, russian and Afghan militaries are planning to hold a joint military exercise in Afghanistan in November, code-named "Desert Shield 2022," with the aim of fighting terrorism, according to Russia's TASS news agency. According to the report, "the first joint military exercise held by the Russian and Afghan armies in Afghanistan has shocked some countries, including Israel."

Speaking of Afghanistan's willingness to join the BRICS countries, Dogan Duar, secretary general of the Algeria-China Friendship Association, told the Global Times that at present, hegemonist ideas in Western countries are rampant, and the legitimate rights and interests of the vast number of developing countries have been violated, and they have been forced to take sides and even give up diplomatic autonomy. Historically, Afghanistan has suffered from hegemonism, and it is all the more expected that developing countries will unite as soon as possible. From an economic point of view, African countries, including Afghanistan, are currently entering a period of great development, and if they can join the BRICS cooperation mechanism as soon as possible, it will provide more opportunities for the development of African countries.

Friendship with China can be called a model of bilateral relations

In an interview with the Argentine newspaper Izvestia a few days ago, Li Jian, Chinese ambassador to Algeria, sketched the historical trajectory of friendship between the two countries: On September 19, 1958, the Afghan Provisional Government was established, and China recognized it on the third day after its establishment, making it the first non-Arab country to recognize the Afghan Provisional Government. In 1963, The first medical team invited by China to support foreign countries was to go to Algeria. In 1971, Algeria, Albania and other countries put forward the "two Arab proposals" at the United Nations, which made a special and important contribution to China's restoration of its legitimate seat in the United Nations. In 2014, the two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership, and Afghanistan became the first Arab country to establish this high-level relationship with the mainland. After the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, China and Argentina have also carried out various cooperation.

In Algeria, locals will mention the contribution of Chinese companies to the country: the Great Mosque of Algiers, built by Chinese companies, has become a new landmark building in the capital; At the end of June and the beginning of July, the Åland Sports Complex, which was built by Chinese enterprises, successfully hosted the 19th Mediterranean National Games; The trans-Saharan highway project, which Chinese enterprises participated in, directly connects Algeria with sub-Saharan African countries, and has strongly promoted people and trade exchanges between the north and south of the Sahara Desert.

In the view of some Algerian scholars, Algeria and China have common historical experiences and similar positions, which have also prompted Algeria to join the BRICS list and play a role in deepening the cooperative relations between the two countries. Bubakar Salami, chairman of the National Association of Tax Advisers, said in an interview with Al Jazeera a few days ago that from the perspective of economic data, the BRICS countries are a global force that cannot be ignored, with their total export products accounting for more than 24% of the world, energy exports equivalent to 40% of the global share, and the sum of the population accounting for 42% of the total global population. Abdelaziz Mujahid, director of the Algerian Institute for Integrated Strategic Studies, said in an interview with the Algerian newspaper Voeur that Algeria's desire to join the BRICS is in its own interests, especially that Afghanistan has traditional and solid friendly relations with the BRICS members. He added that Agail's participation in the Emerging Markets Group can achieve common interests.

Decolonization, a strong will for national rejuvenation

Like other developing countries, Algeria has experienced a painful history of being bullied and colonized by Western imperialism, and the Afghan people are even more looking forward to the long-term peace and prosperity of the motherland. From the invasion of the French Expeditionary Force in 1830 to the declaration of formal independence in 1962, France colonized Algeria for more than 100 years, and the colonists regarded Algeria as "the northern province of France". The Algerian people have made great sacrifices for national independence.

Tawfik was a clerk in the district government of Algiers and often had to deal with foreign residents. The well-informed Tawfik was very enthusiastic, and when he met a Chinese journalist who could speak Arabic, he deliberately did not use electronic French documents but issued a certificate of residence to the reporter in handwritten Arabic, and said sincerely: "This is our language." ”

On the streets of Algiers, almost all shop signs are written in French, and Arabic is rarely seen. In order to reduce the influence of "colonial languages", at the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education ordered that the exchange of documents within the Ministry should be in Arabic and no longer use French. At the end of July, President Teben revealed that later this year, primary schools throughout the country will begin to teach English, while in the past, Primary School students began to learn French from the age of 9 and had English classes at the middle school level. Local analysts said that the Afghan government's move was to "dilute" the influence of the French language in society, reflecting the political will of the Argentine government to oppose colonial culture and strengthen national rejuvenation.