Although the stability of the region was subject to the different alliances built under the signing of international agreements, the latest variations are leading Algeria to rekindle bilateral ties with Tehran after a long diplomatic rupture caused by what it perceived as the Iranian state’s support for domestic terrorism, as well as significant differences in the Arab world.
The geopolitical changes in the region have benefited Algerian-Iranian relations, and in addition to the state of Tehran’s new integration within the framework of a normalization process with neighbors, the Iran-Algeria axis is fed by a new page represented by an invitation from Iran leaders to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and a visit from the speaker of the First Chamber of Parliament, Brahim Boughali.
Ibrahim Boughali, president of the National People’s Assembly of Algeria, is currently in Iran for a four-day visit, which he hopes will rekindle bilateral ties between the two nations and help them overcome the recent normalization and diplomatic openness that has hovered over Tehran’s relations with its neighbors. This visit comes shortly after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi invited his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune to visit the country.
Due to the significant differences between the two sides regarding the crises in Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, the two nations have maintained a minimum level of bilateral relations despite the recent diplomatic difficulties it has had with its neighbors, which led to Algeria finding itself in a difficult situation as a result of the aforementioned crises by not aligning in favor of either side.
The last rift between the two nations occurred in the 1990s when Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Tehran over what it considered Iran’s “role in fomenting terrorist action inside the country.” The gulf was only bridged by the late President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who insisted on mending ties at the beginning of the new millennium.
The General Secretariat of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States is where Ibrahim Boughali, Chairman of the National People’s Congress, visited while serving as the Union’s head of state. Boughali took advantage of his time in the capital of the Islamic republic, to travel to the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Union. There he was received by Mohamed Qureshi Nias, Secretary General of the Federation, who updated him on the activities of the General Secretariat, in particular in relation to monitoring the various events in the country.
Ibrahim Boughali emphasized the need to ”intensify efforts to activate a strong Union presence.” The speaker emphasized the value of coordinated Islamic action at the parliamentary level and expressed hope for a successful run-up to the next session, which will take place in Ivory Coast.
The action demonstrates the intention of the two nations to use the Islamic Parliament to coordinate their positions on the intimidation campaign related to the burning of the Holy Quran and monitor the events in the State of Niger, especially in light of the conflicting positions between calling to use military intervention to restore the constitutional legitimacy represented by President Mohamed Bazoum, and between rejecting and warning against the step of concern to unleash.
In response to an official invitation extended to him by the chairman of the Iranian Shura Council, the head of the House of the National People’s Assembly, Ibrahim Boghali, is currently traveling to the Islamic Republic in the company of lawmakers Riad Khallaf and Elias Qamqani. According to a statement from the chamber, “meetings are scheduled with some senior officials in Iran, to discuss opportunities to review the reality of cooperation between the two countries and ways to promote it in various fields, as well as a diverse program that includes transportation to different places and spaces of an economic and cultural nature.”
Algeria maintained its ties with Tehran even at the height of polarization with its Arab environment thanks to the new normalization of relations between Iran and its neighbors. Due to the ideological context and the conflict between the so-called Sunni current and the Shiite cells that secretly supported the exporting circles of the revolution, Algerian-Iranian relations remain one of the few files that do not enjoy consensus in Algerian and Iranian public opinion.
Iran invests and highly values the cultural and civilizational heritage in its relations with Algeria because it is convinced that doing so will strengthen ties between cultures and lay the foundations for future horizontal relations. This is because Iran is firmly convinced of the need to use the folk heritage that was inspired by the ancient Shiite culture.
A 2015 agreement on artistic and cinematographic production, reflecting Tehran’s intentions to use popular culture and heritage as a platform to forge strategic alliances and seek opportunities for expansion in the area and throughout the African continent, especially those dominated by Sufi thought, is one of the things that have united the two nations for years.
Source : Atalayar
Add Comment