The Russian government welcomed Algeria's decision to join the international economic grouping and invited Tebboune to Moscow

Tebboune delivers: Algeria submits its application to join BRICS

photo_camera PHOTO/AFP - Abdelmadjid Tebboune, president of Argelia

Algeria on Monday submitted a formal application to join BRICS, the bloc of emerging economies made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Speaking to state radio, Leyla Zarruki, representative of Algeria's Foreign Ministry and in charge of International Partnerships, said that Algeria meets all the necessary criteria to apply for BRICS membership. 

Last July, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced his intention to join the BRICS, arguing that his country's accession "will protect Algeria, a pioneer of the principle of non-alignment, from friction between the two poles".

"Joining the BRICS group depends on the economic conditions that Algeria largely fulfils," said Tebboune, who explained that, to achieve this goal, his country is working on developing its domestic product.

Photo/Press Information Bureau via AP) (Press Information Bureau via AP - Los líderes de las naciones del BRICS  durante una videoconferencia, en Nueva Delhi, India, el jueves 9 de septiembre de 2021

From Moscow, Mikhaïl Bogdanov, Russia's special envoy for the Middle East and North Africa, praised Algeria's decision to formalise its accession process to the international economic group. In the same statement, Bogdanov hinted that Tebboune might soon travel to Moscow to meet face-to-face with Putin. 

Algeria, which attended the last BRICS summit in June as an invited member, argued that its application was based on the need to open up commercially to other states seeking "parity and equality".

In late September, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Algerian counterpart, Ramtane Lamamra, in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, and said he supported Algeria "in its role as the rotating president of the Arab League and the smooth running of the Arab summit, and welcomes its accession to the BRICS family".

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