Algeria: Tebboune loses his balance in Moscow

If a few months ago he called for a calming of Algerian-French relations by showing himself to be the driving force behind the "Algiers Declaration" signed in Algiers in August 2022 at the end of Macron's visit to Algiers, the Algerian president has made an unexpected U-turn by throwing himself body and soul into Putin's arms during an impromptu trip to Moscow when he was supposed to be in Paris. 

Angry with France, where several voices are raised against the state visit he was supposed to make to France on 16 June because of its numerous human rights violations, the Algerian president is behaving like a grieving lover who is going to throw herself into the arms of the enemy of the lover who has disappointed her. In Russia, Tebboune has, to say the least, burned Algeria's cards in its international relations. He showed a total ignorance of diplomatic ethics and strategic issues. He gave the impression of complaining to Putin about the West, "asking for protection".  

Apart from Tebboune's calamitous statements, his trip to Russia brought nothing to Algeria, apart from a clear deterioration of its relations with Europe and the US. The Russians won everything. Juicy arms contracts and a strategic agreement that places Algeria in the role of Moscow's vassal.

Although Algeria's economic interests lie in Europe, where it has numerous trading partners, it is certain that this surprising improvement in Algerian-Russian relations will not stand up to Algerian interests in the West and, above all, to the dependence of the Algerian regime's dignitaries on Europe, where they look after their health, their bank accounts and the assets they have acquired on behalf of the Algerian public purse. 

Tebboune has never sought to preserve the balance of his country's relations on the international stage. He has gone from one extreme to the other. For many years, Algeria's relations with Russia were limited to the military sphere, especially arms. For the rest, it has always maintained privileged relations with Western Europe. Far from any pressure.

Incited by Putin's indulgent language, the Algerian head of state lost his balance and quickly turned the tables. He invited Russian businessmen to invest massively in his country. He even went so far as to express his desire to do away with the US dollar and the euro by aligning himself with Russia, which is increasingly challenging the dollar's supremacy in international trade. Tebboune's laudatory statements on Russia and his desire to get as close as possible to Russia, which has been marginalised on the international stage since its invasion of Ukraine, have placed Algeria in an awkward position on the world stage.