Iran's Raisi hopes his Algeria visit will be 'turning point' in bilateral ties

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN (AA) - Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday said he hopes his first official visit to Algeria would mark a turning point in the expansion of commercial and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Raisi made the remarks following his meeting with Algerian counterpart Abdelmajid Tebboune on the sidelines of the 7th meeting of the heads of states of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Algiers.

Raisi became the first Iranian president to visit the North African country in 14 years. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the last to visit in September 2010.

In remarks cited by state-run news agency IRNA, the Iranian president pointed to shared views of Tehran and Algiers on various regional issues, including the anti-terrorism fight, and emphasized the development of relations between the two countries.

He also expressed Iran's readiness to transfer experiences in various sectors, including science and technology and petrochemicals with Algeria, and proposed joint productions by knowledge-based industries of the two countries.

During the visit, Iran and Algeria signed multiple cooperation agreements to bolster their bilateral relationship, Algeria's state-run news agency APS reported.

The agreements were made for cooperation in the sectors of energy, start-ups, tourism, media and communication.

At the joint presser with Raisi, Tebboune expressed his country's commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation, describing the relations with Iran as "historic."

The two leaders also discussed the developments in the Gaza Strip, with Raisi stressing that the Palestinian nation will be the "definite winner" against Israel.

Algeria and Iran, he emphasized, have "common political positions" and are committed to defending the rights of the Palestinian people.

He said the International Court of Justice should issue a verdict to stop the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza, calling it a "genocide."

He accused the US and other Western countries of complicity in Gaza, and said their hands are "stained with the blood of innocent and oppressed people of Gaza."

The death toll from Israeli bombings in the coastal Palestinian territory since Oct. 7 now tops 30,000. The humanitarian situation also remains grave amid bombings and siege.