Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to visit Algeria

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will travel to Algeria this weekend, the first official trip to the North African country by an Iranian president in 14 years, according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA.

Raisi will attend the 7th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum on Saturday in Algiers. On Sunday, the Iranian leader will meet Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and is expected to sign a series of bilateral agreements.

Iran as the world’s second largest natural gas reserves after Russia, with an estimated at 33,988 billion cubic meters, according to OPEC. Algeria has the tenth largest natural gas reserves at 4,504 billion cubic meters.

Raisi’s visit can be seen as part of Iranian policy to deepen ties across the Africa, partly to offset its diplomatic isolation in other parts of the world. In July 2023, Raisi visited Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe, where he signed 21 agreements covering various sectors, including oil and energy, according to Al Monitor.

Iran and Algeria have signed dozens of agreements over the last few decades, in fields ranging from the automotive industry to agriculture, trade, health, higher education and scientific research.