Turkey and Algeria ... towards a new stage

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has completed his visit to Algeria, and from there he went to the Gambia and then Senegal; thus, he would have completed an African tour that led him to three countries, something that would almost become a base in his African tours of no less than three countries.

Erdogan's last visit to Algeria was two years ago in March 2018, at which time he also visited Senegal, Mali and Mauritania on a tour of four African countries. In this last round, Erdogan visited for the first time the Gambia, in a visit considered the first of its kind by a Turkish president to this African country.

As we talked previously, every visit by President Erdogan to any country during which he organizes a business forum deals with the visions and motives that will lead the economic relations between the two countries to a better degree. This type of business cannot be inherently profitable only for the benefit of Turkey.

On the contrary, there must be bilateral gains between both parties in order to continue and maintain relations, and this is the most important message for this type of trade or economic forum. This is the difference between Turkey and other countries in terms of its interest in the African continent in the past and present. Turkey's relationship with any country is based on - certainly - to give this country the same benefit that Turkey reaps to the same degree.

The presence of Algeria in this African tour is gaining its importance from the changes that have occurred in this country recently, and its important location in the region, in addition to the volume of trade exchange between it and Turkey. It is known that the protests of the Algerian squares were launched since the announcement by former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika - who ruled the country from 1999 until his resignation last year - to run for the elections for the fifth time.

Indeed, the presidential elections were held after a while, and Abdel Majid Taboun was elected President of Algeria by obtaining 58% of the votes in the first round. Although some protests continue in Algeria - given that Tabun is a figure affiliated with the former regime - there are elections that took place, and a president came to the country with a strong percentage of votes.

Despite his good relationship with the ruling class in the previous regime, this may be considered an important opportunity to reach a compromise in Algerian society. It is a major achievement, especially at the level of Arab and Islamic countries, when a free political environment is formed without completely excluding the demands of the social strata, and without excluding anyone from the political field at the same time.

Unfortunately, many Muslim countries appear to be deprived of the lowest levels of reconciliation, freedom of expression, and political gesture. Algeria is a country that continues its political process with significant maturity in this regard, and it can be said that this maturity has really a great relationship with the lessons learned from the painful experiences that the country has experienced in the past.

In fact, it is extremely important to stay away from the obstacles of political reconciliation, which can lead to violent conflict or coups that completely end the political environment. Yes, of course; sensitivity to this can create an opportunism focused on the weak point of imposing a different authoritarian regime.

Regardless of what was said and said, Algeria is now making important strides in the path of democracy and patriotism. Certainly, it is not necessary for everything that happens from one side of the political conflict to happen at the expense of the other. Rather, what is important and necessary is that one of the parties is not ignored, and that there is a compromise and a meeting point.

There is a lot of news that gives hope that the new Algerian president Taboun seeks to raise the ceiling of this atmosphere of reconciliation and political participation, such as declaring a general amnesty and new political arrangements. President Erdogan has closely followed all developments in Algeria, and he has shown great respect and appreciation for the will and choice of the Algerian people, and when the election results were announced, he called the new elected president to be the first president to congratulate him.

Algeria has very important potential in North Africa, through its geopolitics, human and material wealth. It is also considered the third richest country in Africa in terms of oil reserves after Libya and Nigeria, in addition to having the highest natural gas reserves after Nigeria. The geography of Algeria exceeds three times the area of ​​Turkey, and the number of souls of 42 million people is equivalent to half of the population of Turkey.

Of course, this is not alone is the most important wealth for Algeria; the enjoyment of a large proportion of young people is a huge human resource for Algeria, if this is managed properly. The presence of this youth percentage is an abundant source of labor market, as well as a very great opportunity to give a good educational institution. This - in and of itself - is a very important matter, and definitely calls for its evaluation on the level of cooperation in the field of education between Algeria and Turkey.

The Algerian people are considered the most exceptional example in terms of preserving their identity and authenticity against colonialism, through struggle, struggle and noble resistance. It is inconceivable that any difficulty can stand in the face of the state when it gains this people to its side, in other words, when it stands beside a people of this kind.

On the other hand, there is also the Libyan file that was on the agenda of visiting Algeria, and I can say that Algeria's preoccupation with the internal crisis for a long time contributed - to a large extent - to what Libya has now reached. Otherwise, Algeria - as a state that has these long borders with Libya - will not tolerate nor allow the ongoing occupation and administration of this country. Those who took advantage of this vacuum to establish their occupation must reckon a new account from now on. Algeria has returned and will be present at the same level as Turkey.