Qatar-Algeria relations are historic and growing. Honed by decades of co-operation and synergy between the leaderships of the two countries, these stem from a firm belief in the goal of unity and a common destiny, based on solid foundations, and sincerity linking the two countries and people in political, social and economic fields.
These bilateral relations have strengthened and expanded, becoming firmly established through a series of mutual visits between the leaderships of the two countries. The last visit was in June with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani attending the opening ceremony of the 19th Oran 2022 Mediterranean Games and His Highness’ meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The Amir’s visit was preceded by the state visit of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to Qatar in February.
During the visit, the Amir and the president held extensive official talks session on ways to enhance these in various fields.
The two sides commended the distinguished co-operation relations and looked forward to upgrading them in all fields, especially in the economic, commercial and gas sectors.
President Tebboune reiterated his gratitude to the Amir for Qatar’s support to the Algerian candidate who was elected Secretary-General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.
The two leaders emphasised the real and diverse opportunities available in the two countries to enhance co-operation by enabling opportunities for investment integration and establishing partnerships as well as increasing and diversifying the volume of trade exchange.
The two sides reviewed the changing developments in the international arena and their repercussions on the Arab region, stressing the need to establish balanced international relations that would be governed by the UN Charter and the principles established in this framework.
They also stressed the importance of upholding the values of unity and solidarity among Arab countries to overcome the various current crises that the region is undergoing and agreed to support and strengthen frameworks and mechanisms for joint Arab action regarding future entitlements, especially the Arab Summit in Algeria.
His Highness the Amir praised the Algerian president’s efforts and his keenness on providing an atmosphere conducive to the success of this summit, stressing the readiness of Qatar to support these good endeavours and contribute to achieving the desired results, especially in light of the common challenges facing the Arab countries at various levels.
With regard to the central issue of the Arab nation, the two leaders reviewed prospects for mobilising more international support for the Palestinian cause in a manner that preserves the rights of the Palestinian people and ensures the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
They also stressed the importance of achieving Palestinian national unity and the endeavour launched by Algeria in this regard to complement the sincere efforts made by many Arab countries, especially Qatar, to achieve the desired progress towards this supreme goal.
The two leaders also discussed the most important crises that threaten peace and security in the Arab region and stressed the consensus of the two countries positions on the need to formulate peaceful solutions that achieve the aspirations of the peoples concerned and distance their countries from the dangers of foreign interference.
In addition, the two discussed the crisis of Covid-19 and ways to encourage the trend toward Arab countries possessing the elements of health security and self-sufficiency in this field.
During the visit, the Amir and the president witnessed the signing of an agreement, two memorandums of understanding, and an executive programme.
These reciprocal visits and the likes carried out by ministers and senior officials from the two countries confirm the great keenness to support, advance, and strengthen relations in all sectors, which is reflected in the results of the 5th meeting of the joint Qatari-Algerian supreme committee held in Doha in November 2014.
Qatari-Algerian relations have their distinct features. The two countries are among the world’s largest exporters of natural gas and are pivotal countries within the Arab League and the regional environment.
The Qatar-Algeria relations are united by common visions, positions, and firm principles toward bilateral and national interests, and regional and international issues aimed at enhancing peace and security.
The recent dynamic witnessed by the Qatari-Algerian relations, according to Rachid Cherchar, a member of the National People’s Assembly (lower house of Algerian Parliament), would open the door to further strengthening the bilateral relations, launching them towards broader horizons in various fields. Additionally, it constitutes a push to intensify the efforts of the two countries to serve Arab issues and promote joint Arab action to face the current challenges.
Dr Abdelkader Berriche, a member of the National People’s Assembly (lower house of Algerian Parliament) praised the fraternal relations between the two countries, stressing that these relations embody the spirit of Arab brotherhood and are a model for what Arab-Arab relations should be.
The mutual visits at the leaderships’ level will push for more co-operation and strategic partnership and will positively affect the strengthening of joint Arab action, he added.
The Qatar-Algeria relations regulate many agreements, memorandums of understanding and protocols, which include co-operation in economy and trade, industry, energy, mining and investment, agriculture and tourism, health and sports, customs, maritime transport, and military co-operation, in addition to the sectors of culture, media, sports, urban planning, as well as co-operation in the legal and judicial fields, economic control, combating commercial fraud, avoiding double taxation, fishing, water resources and natural reserves.
These agreements strengthened and consolidated the brotherly relations between the two countries and upgraded them from the stage of bilateral co-operation to an ambitious strategic partnership that is confident in achieving its goals and the success of its projects.
Algeria is one of the investment destinations of interest to Qatari businessmen.
In recent years, a number of Qatari investment projects have been established in Algeria, most notably the Algerian-Qatari Steel Company (Bellara Steel Complex) located northeast of Algiers.
The project, which covers an area of about 216 hectares, a cost of approximately $2bn and a production capacity of 4mn tonnes of steel, is intended to produce high quality iron using natural gas.
This brought the company a global reputation and enabled it to conclude agreements with international companies for export.
The project is considered one of the most important strategic partnership projects in the economic field between the two countries.
The investments of the pioneering group Ooredoo in the telecommunications sector, also achieved remarkable success in Algeria.
There are many important investments for Qatari businessmen in several fields such as agriculture, tourism, services, environment and other fields.
Qatar is considered one of the largest investors in the Algerian market as it is a promising market that is full of many opportunities that attract any investor.
The efforts of the chambers of the two countries have contributed to opening new areas of co-operation between the private sector, thus establishing partnerships and alliances that serve the economy of both sides.
The first meeting of the Qatar-Algeria Business Council last April was an important event that would reflect positively on the volume of trade and investment exchange between the two countries.
There are dozens of joint Qatari-Algerian companies operating in the Qatari market.
They are expected to increase during the coming period, especially with the availability of many investment opportunities in various economic sectors, especially small and medium industries, in light of the capabilities of the two countries.
Algeria possesses an important geographic location between the European and African continents, and it has distinguished relations with the countries of both continents.
The Algerian market has natural potential ranging from climatic diversity and agricultural lands, in addition to the availability of specialised and skilled Algerian labour, which provides a lot of investment possibilities and opportunities in various sectors such as mining, medicine, tourism, industry, services and agriculture.
There are 169 Algerian companies operating in Qatar, including two wholly owned by the Algerian side and 167 companies with Qatari-Algerian joint capital.
Algeria and Qatar seek to give a qualitative leap for economic and trade co-operation by signing several agreements in various fields, including a memorandum of understanding regarding the feasibility study for the expansion of the factory of the Algerian-Qatari Steel Company (Bellara Complex) with the aim of moving to the second stage of the production level, which is expected to raise the factory’s production capacity to 4mn tonnes annually, in addition to developing co-operation and exchanging experiences in higher education, scientific and technological research by signing the second executive programme 2022-2025, a memorandum of understanding for the exchange of experiences in the family sector and social development and an agreement on judicial co-operation in criminal matters.
Qatar is the largest Arab investor in Algeria. It is one of the investment destinations that receive the attention of Qatari businessmen. In recent years, a number of Qatari investment projects have been established in Algeria.
Last June, the Qatari Businessmen Association discussed, with the Algerian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and some ministers during their visit to Algeria, opportunities to enhance investment co-operation between the two countries.
During President Tebboune’s reception, HE the Chairman of the Associations Board of Directors Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani stressed on the Qatari side’s desire to invest in Algeria as it has all natural ingredients and human resources, announcing several projects and agreements that will see the light soon.
