Algeria is increasingly being claimed by Europe, which wants to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
Article written by
Posted on 5/10/2022 2:33 PM Updated on 5/10/2022 2:36 PM
Reading time: 1 min
The head of Russia’s diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, is paying a visit to Algeria, a key Moscow ally and gas exporter increasingly in demand by a Europe looking to reduce its dependence on Russian gas. After arriving in Algiers on Monday May 9, Sergei Lavrov met his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra this Tuesday before being received by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, according to media reports. This visit, Segrei Lavrov’s first visit to Algeria since January 2019, coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Algeria.
At the diplomatic level, everything is in excellent shape between the two countries. Algeria, like many African countries, has always refused to condemn Russia for the war in Ukraine. In early April, she voted against the decision to exclude the Russian Federation from the Human Rights Council. On April 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Mr. Tebboune by phone to specifically discuss “coordination within OPEC+ as well as the situation in Ukraine,” according to the official Russian agency TASS. Algeria, a leading gas exporter, supplies around 11% of the gas consumed in Europe, compared to Russia’s 47%.
Several countries looking to reduce their reliance on Russian supplies since invading Ukraine have turned to Algeria, which is otherwise an ally of Moscow, but Algiers has very limited capacity to boost its exports. In an apparent effort not to alienate Moscow, Algeria also reiterates that its additional export capacity to Europe is too limited to replace Russian gas. In fact, Spain is connected to Algeria by a 750-kilometer subsea gas pipeline, the Medgaz, and by a second pipeline, the GME, which Algiers shut down in the autumn against the background of the diplomatic crisis with Morocco, but not, but dismantled.