Putin is 'a friend of humanity', says Algerian President Tebboune

Was it second degree, an inappropriate joke, or gross flattery? The Algerian president indulged in a rather surprising compliment to his Russian counterpart during a trip to Russia. “Putin is a friend of humanity”, declared Abdelmadjid Tebboune in front of the head of the Kremlin during the economic forum of Saint Petersburg last Friday.

The latter reacted by displaying a smile, visibly uncomfortable, while a majority of countries in the world condemned the war he is waging in Ukraine. The Russian president is presumed responsible by the International Criminal Court for "war crimes", for the illegal and massive transfer of children from the occupied territories to Russia.

Passing through Russia, the Algerian president intends to strengthen his partnership with the Kremlin, and has made a very specific request to Moscow. "I say on behalf of my country that we would like to join the BRICS organization in the near future," he said in particular during his address in Saint Petersburg to the Russian president. The group was created in 2006 with Brazil, Russia, India and China. It was joined in 2011 by South Africa.

So did the Algerian president clumsily woo Vladimir Putin or was he joking on purpose? Abdelmadjid Tebboune said in any case, after a meeting with his Russian counterpart in Moscow the day before, that the contact had been "frank and friendly, which testifies to the high level in the Russian-Algerian relations", according to the official translation published in the Russian press.

The Algerian head of state also added that he had discussed with Vladimir Putin several international issues, in particular the situation in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, Libya and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Algiers and Moscow have maintained privileged relations since the Soviet Union supported the Algerian separatists during the war against the former colonial power France (1954-1962).

Today, trade between Algeria and Russia is around three billion dollars and Moscow is a major supplier of armaments to the largest country in Africa by area. Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia, now isolated in the West, has been trying to strengthen its relations in Asia, Latin America and Africa.