Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad received, on Monday, July 25th, 2022, in Damascus, Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Ramtane Lamamra who handed over a written message from Algerian President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, said the Algerian Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement.

“As part of his working visit to Damascus as Special Envoy of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, Ramtane Lamamra was received at the People’s Palace by the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Mr. Bashar Al-Assad, to whom he handed down a written message from his brother President Tebboune, conveying to him his sincere greetings and his wish to see Syria restore its security and stability”, read the press release.

For his part, President Bashar Al-Assad expressed “his thanks and his deep gratitude to his brother President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, for extending Syria with loyalty, highlighting the feelings of esteem, gratitude and trust that Syria has for Algerian people and government, in view of the close historical ties linking the two sisterly countries and brotherly peoples and the constructive and positive positions of Algeria vis-à-vis the Syrian crisis since its beginning”, noted the same source.

According to the source, the Syrian president said: “The Syrian people will not forget the stance of Algeria that stood by its side in the war it is exposed to, and will always remember it as a brotherly country that adheres to its principles and Arabism”.

Al-Assad affirmed Syria’s keenness to work with Algeria to open new prospects for cooperation between the two countries, and to shore up fraternal ties between the two peoples.

As for the Arab League, President Al-Assad considered that the League is the mirror of the Arab situation, and that what matters to Syria is the formula, content, and product of joint Arab action, because it is more concerned in substance than form, and it highly appreciates Algeria’s stance in support of Syrian rights in all fields.

In turn, Minister Lamamra affirmed that Syria is an essential member of the Arab region and a founding member of the Arab League, and that the Arab world needs Syria and not the other way around, adding that Algeria will be with Syria and will coordinate with it during its presidency of the summit as it has always been.

The Head of the Algerian Diplomacy noted that Algeria’s official stance towards Syria is fully consistent with the stance of the Algerian people, who have the utmost respect for the Syrian people and support their steadfastness in the face of the terrorist war and the unjust blockade they are being subjected to.

In a related context, the meeting was an opportunity to review the historic brotherhood and cooperation relations between the two countries with the aim of enhancing them based on principles, common values, and historical factors that brought together the two brotherly peoples and countries and realizing the will on both sides to develop these relations.

The meeting made it possible to exchange views and analyze the current situation on the Arab scene and the prospects for further strengthening relations between countries in the region to enable them to address common challenges in various fields. To this end, some proposals and formulas were exchanged to improve joint Arab action, whether at the bilateral level or at the level of the Arab League, and to confront the issues and challenges facing the Arabs.

At the end of the meeting, President Bashar Al-Assad instructed Minister Lamamra to convey his warm greetings to his brother President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, reaffirming his support and recognition for his tireless efforts in favor of the unity of Arab countries and strengthening the values ​​of cooperation and solidarity in the Arab space.

Following the meeting, Lamamra said: “It was an honor to meet President Al-Assad, I handed him a letter from his brother, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and President Al-Assad conveyed his reply to the letter and issues of common interest”.

Lamamra holds one-on-one talks with Al-Mekdad

At the headquarters of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lamamra held one-on-one talks with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Al-Mekdad, followed by a working session extended to the delegations of the two countries.

The talks focused on “a number of issues related to bilateral relations and ways of strengthening them, in addition to regional and international issues of common interest. Both sides welcomed the strong and centuries-old brotherly ties marking the common history of the two countries and two brotherly peoples, while expressing their aspiration to materialize the promising prospects of this strategic relationship and to consecrate harmony and convergence of positions between the two countries based on the values ​​and principles consecrated at the regional and international levels”, specified the communiqué.

“We discussed the distinguished bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and means of developing them, and these meetings serve the interests of the Syrian and Algerian peoples and the real aspirations of our nation and our peoples and for all those who seek dignity, liberation, independence and sovereignty in all parts”, Al-Mekdad said.

Dubbing relations with Algeria as deep-rooted, Al-Mekdad said that Algeria has stood by the Syrian people for the past 11 years, condemned terrorism, and expressed its rejection of the coercive Western economic measures that were imposed on Syria and exacerbated the suffering of its people and impeded the process of rebuilding what was destroyed by terrorism.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to activate the Syrian-Algerian Joint Higher Committee and to hold its next meeting before the end of this year, in addition to forming a joint council for Syrian-Algerian businessmen.

Syria’s absence from the Arab League is detrimental to joint Arab action

Algeria´s Foreign Minister decried Syria´s decade-long suspension from the Arab League, indicating unwavering support for the war-torn country's return to the organization under President Bashar Al-Assad.

Minister Lamamra said, in this vein, that Syria’s absence from its seat in the Arab League “is detrimental to joint Arab action”.

"Syria’s absence from the Arab League harms cooperation between Arab countries", said Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, speaking at a news conference with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Al-Mekdad.

He said: "Many Arab officials are visiting Damascus and meeting with Syrian officials in many places, so we are optimistic about the prospect of resuming Syria's suspended seat in the 22-member regional organization". 

For his part, Al-Mekdad said the presence of Syria in the Arab realm is "significant for all the Arab sphere".

"What is important now is the political coordination and to come up with the right conclusions to serve the Arab goal. Syria is coordinating with Algeria and several Arab countries to revisit the status of Syria’s membership in the league".

He noted that Syria backs any measure that would restore the Arab stance, understanding and coordination.

In response to a question about Syria’s participation in the upcoming Arab summit in Algeria, Mr. Al-Mekdad said: “We must deal with matters realistically and think about the pressures that we are experiencing… Syria’s main concern, under the leadership of President Bashar Al-Assad, is the interest of the Arab nation, strengthening solidarity and joint Arab action, and unifying the Arab position in the face of common challenges”.

In a related vein, the Syrian FM hailed “Algeria’s constructive and leading role on the Arab scene, reaffirming Syria’s support for Algeria’s efforts to materialize Palestinian national reconciliation, guarantee optimal preparation for the Arab summit, and promote peaceful solutions to the crises that threaten peace and stability in its regional neighborhood and its African extension”, according to the same source.

At the end of the talks, “the two sides agreed to inject new momentum into bilateral cooperation mechanisms and accelerate the pace of coordination at all levels regarding the frantic developments at the regional and international levels,” the statement concluded.

Al-Mekdad explained that Minister "Lamamra is visiting Damascus to consult and coordinate with us on the best steps towards the challenges facing the Arab countries, and we welcome any Arab-Arab coordination and any Arab-Arab consultations to reach a unified stance to confront them, indicating that coordination between Syria, Algeria and the Arab countries is ongoing, and everyone should realize that Syria’s presence is very important in heart of the Arab action".

Later, the Syrian Presidency Twitter page welcomed the visit of Lamamra to Syria saying:

"Strengthening brotherly ties between Syria and Algeria is built on common principles and historical events which have brought together the two populations and brotherly countries, as well as achieving the desire to develop these relations - that was the highlight of the meeting between President Al-Assad and Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra", the tweet read.

"FM Lamamra handed over a message from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune regarding bilateral ties and the continuation of consultation and coordination between the two countries regarding challenges faced by the region, with the addition of the ongoing preparations for the holding of the Arab Summit in Algeria."

The Arab League, formally known as the League of Arab States, is noteworthy, expected to hold its first annual summit in three years in Algeria this November. Syria’s membership in the organization was suspended in 2011, citing an alleged crackdown by Damascus on opposition protests. Syria has denounced the move as "illegal and a violation of the organization’s charter”. However, Algeria has never ceased to call for Syria's rehabilitation into the Arab League. Earlier, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, speaking at a joint press conference with his Tunisian counterpart, Kais Saied, in Tunis, called for the restoration of Syria’s membership in the Arab League, stating that Arab nations would not be able to reunify and resolve their differences in case Damascus is excluded from the regional organization.