Latest news with #Attaf
Zawya
24-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Algeria seeks Turkish renewable energy investment
Algeria has invited Turkey to invest in renewable energy projects as the North African Arab country is pushing ahead with a massive drive to expand reliance on renewable energy sources to save its fossil fuel wealth. The two countries also said they are targeting $10 billion trade volume after two-way exchange between the two countries hit an all time high of nearly $6 billion in 2024. The foreign ministers of the two nations announced the target at a meeting of their joint commission in the Algerian capital Algiers on Monday. Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said during the talks that commercial relations between Algeria and Turkey have largely expanded over the past years. 'Two-way trade between the two countries reached an unprecedented level last year as it hit a record high of nearly $six billion,' Attaf said. 'But our ambitions surpass that level as Algeria and Turkey are seeking to reach a target of $10 billion in their commercial exchanges,' Affat said in his comments, published on Facebook by Algerian state TV. Affaf said Turkey is also one of the largest foreign investors in Algeria, with an estimated $six billion at the end of 2024. 'Cooperation between Algeria and Turkey in various fields, mainly steel, energy, textiles and desert farming, has produced remarkable results…yet we see a great potential to expand this cooperation to include renewable energy projects and pharmaceutical industries…Turkish companies can take advantage of several incentives offered by Algeria in this field,' the Algerian Minister said. (Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon) (
Morocco World
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Algeria Continues to Block UN Roundtable Process on Western Sahara
Rabat – Despite UN Security Council resolutions, Algeria continues to block the UN roundtable of talk initiatives on Western Sahara, shirking its responsibility as one of the four main parties to the Western Sahara dispute. Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Attaf renewed his country's reluctance to engage in the UN-led political process during a meeting with UN Envoy for Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura on Sunday. According to a statement from the Algerian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Attaf reiterated 'Algeria's full support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres and his Personal Envoy, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, aimed at reviving the political settlement process of the conflict in Western Sahara based on the UN Charter and principles of international legality related to decolonization.' Attaf reiterated his country's stance that they are not a party to the dispute. De Mistura's meeting with Attaf is part of his regional visit to discuss the dispute with the main parties to the Sahara dispute amid a stagnation at the level of the UN, which continues to fail to put pressure on the Algerian regime to engage in good faith in the political process to contribute to finding an agreed upon political solution to end the dispute. Not a surprise, but it damages the process Algeria's regime prefers to refer to itself as merely an observer, despite its direct involvement as it hosts, finances, arms, and supports Polisario's independence claims. Despite this direct involvement, Algeria has repeatedly declined to engage in roundtable discussions initiated by the UN, bringing together all parties to discuss and deliberate a realistic and pragmatic solution. Algeria's reluctance has been documented in several UN Security Council resolutions as well as reports by the UN Secretary General. In his latest report on Western Sahara last year, Guterres acknowledged Algeria rejected its role in the dispute. 'On 27 February 2024, my Personal Envoy met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Algeria, Ahmed Attaf, in Algiers, Algeria. On 16 April, he met again with Mr. Attaf on the margins of the Minister's working visit to New York on Security Council matters.' Attaf notably conveyed the continued focus of Algeria on 'ensuring Western Sahara's people the right to self-determination,' the UN chief added, further quoting the top Algerian diplomat as insisting that his country is not a party to the conflict. UN Security Council Resolutions, including the latest Resolution 2756, called upon all parties to cooperate more fully with each other, a demand that has long been ignored by Algeria's regime. Critically, the Security Council recognized that achieving a political consensus would contribute to the stability and security of the region. Algeria's claims: disconnected from reality Morocco has long exposed Algeria's reluctance to shoulder its responsibility in the dispute. In November last year, King Mohammed VI reaffirmed Morocco's unwavering commitment to safeguarding the country's sovereignty over its southern provinces. In a speech which did not mention Algeria by name, the monarch unmistakably referenced the country's regime's hostile stance on Morocco's territorial integrity and highlighted Algeria's refusal to conduct a census in Tindouf camps. The King stressed that clinging to the independence referendum amounts to being stuck in another 'world clearly disconnected from reality' and 'outdated theories and claims.' The King also called on the UN to take bolder action in getting countries to distinguish between real or legitimate worlds and 'frozen worlds disconnected from reality. 'Now is the time for the United Nations to assume its responsibility and spell out the major difference between the real legitimate world, represented by Morocco in its Sahara, and a world which is frozen in time, and which is disconnected from reality and the developments that have taken place,' the monarch said. Omar Hilale, Morocco's permanent ambassador to the UN, echoed the same remarks during a statement in October last year, rejecting Algeria's attempts to undermine Morocco's territorial integrity. 'It is Algeria that created the Polisario, it is Algeria that finances the Polisario, it is Algeria that pays the Polisario, and it is with Algerian passports that Polisario separatists travel around the world,' Hilale said, noting that the separatist group's headquarters, the Tindouf camps, are also in Algeria. Morocco has been stressing its four fundamental principles during its previous meetings with de Mistura. The principles include Morocco's support for the UN-led political process towards finding a mutually acceptable political solution, putting emphasis on the continuity of UN-sponsored roundtable discussions that engage all parties to the dispute. Another key fundamental is Morocco's Autonomy Plan as the only political solution to end the dispute. Morocco also echoed its strict respect for a ceasefire by all parties as a prerequisite for the continuation of the political process Tags: Algeriaalgeria western sahara
El Chorouk
05-03-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
Mr. Attaf: 'No to aborting a national project by stripping it of its bearers and removing a people from history'
Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs Mr. Ahmed Attaf underscored Tuesday in Cairo the need to uphold and respect the independence of the Palestinian decision, calling for rallying around the Palestinian people to support the stabilization of the ceasefire and the reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip after more than 15 months of genocidal Zionist aggression. In a speech delivered during the extraordinary session of the Arab League Council at summit level devoted to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, Mr. Attaf asserted that Algeria 'stresses the need to uphold and respect the independence of the Palestinian decision, especially in the face of the recent manifestation of an unbridled desire to marginalize the Palestinian voice and absent its role in the post-aggression arrangements on Gaza,' adding that these arrangements 'must strengthen, not weaken, the foundations of our cause and must clarify, not obscure, the landmarks on the road to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state,' underlined Mr. Attaf. 'Today, we are called upon to rally around our Palestinian brothers. They need our support to stabilize the ceasefire, they need our support to launch reconstruction efforts, and they need our support to rekindle the flame of a permanent, just and final solution through the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.' 'These are all priorities that require everyone's contribution and participation, each from his or her position, each with his or her capabilities, and each with what his or her circumstances allow,' he said. Algeria will only be an active party in this endeavor, as it continues to fulfill its Arab mandate in the UN Security Council.' Algeria 'joins the voices of its Arab brothers to affirm its categorical rejection of the plans to displace Palestinians from their land, to denounce the desperate attempts to separate Gaza from the rest of the Palestinian territories, and to condemn all maneuvers to annex the West Bank and remove it from its authentic Palestinian bosom,' he said. Mr. Attaf warned that the danger today 'is the danger of dispersing a people after attempting to exterminate them, exporting a people after confiscating their land, and aborting a national project by stripping it of its bearers. In one expressive sentence, the danger today is the danger of removing a people from history, which is the Palestinian people, and preventing a state from entering the contemporary geopolitical space, which is the Palestinian state.' The extraordinary Arab summit is meeting 'amid an unprecedented state of disorientation and disorientation against the backdrop of the accelerated disappearance of the pillars of the contemporary international relations system, which today is witnessing manifestations of inwardness, unilateralism and disregard for international law, as well as the imposition of the logic of force and hegemony,' the foreign minister said. In this general context, 'the Palestinian people have faced various challenges, endured the most severe and harsh suffering, and made countless and indescribable sacrifices, but what is facing them today is far more serious and dangerous,' he said. 'Let our message be clear and purposeful, let our word be one and united, and let our ranks be united around our Palestinian brothers, their cause, our cause and the cause of all humanity,' concluded the Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs. President of the Republic Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune decided not to personally participate in the emergency Arab summit hosted by Egypt on Tuesday, March 04, to discuss the developments of the Palestinian issue, and assigned Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Attaf to represent Algeria. 'This decision came against the backdrop of the imbalances and shortcomings that marred the preparatory process for this summit, which was monopolized by a limited and narrow group of Arab countries that monopolized the preparation of the outcomes of the upcoming summit in Cairo without any coordination with other Arab countries concerned with the Palestinian issue,' the Algerian Press Agency (APS) said. The source explained that 'the President of the Republic was saddened by this way of working, which is based on the inclusion of countries and the exclusion of others, as if the support of the Palestinian cause has become the exclusive monopoly of some. While the logic of things was and still is to strengthen Arab unity and strengthen the rallying of all Arab countries around their central cause, the Palestinian cause, especially as it faces existential challenges that aim to strike at the heart of the Palestinian national project,' the source said.
Morocco World
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
TAS Leaves Algeria in Dismay After Verdict Rejecting RS Berkane Victory Annulment
Rabat – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) has left Algeria's regime and media in distress after rejecting an appeal to annul RS Berkane's win after an Algerian team abandoned the games as part of the CAF Confederation Cup final. The tournament last year was fraught with drama due to Algeria's hostility towards the RS Berkane team as well as Morocco's territorial integrity. In April 2024, the Confederation of African Football announced RS Berkane as a winner after Algeria's team pulled out of the competition because the Moroccan team's jerseys featured the full map of Morocco, including the southern provinces. The authorities in Algeria also confiscated RS Berkan's jersey after the club landed in Algeria for the first leg of their double confrontation against USM Alger. In the second leg, USM Alger traveled to Morocco only to pull out from the game for a second time. CAF penalized USM Alger with a forfeit of 0-3 for the first and second-leg matches. TAS verdict rejected USMA's request, validating the victory of RS Berkane, who wore jerseys showing Morocco's full map. TAS's verdict also did not include any decisions sanctioning the club or Morocco's Football Federation (FRMF), with the remarks made exclusively addressing CAF. 'It is now up to the CAF bodies to make a statement regarding remarks made about them, as Morocco is not concerned,' a source familiar with the dossier told Morocco World News (MWN). In its verdict, the court said CAF regulations stipulate that all equipment, including players' jerseys, 'must not convey any political content.' It noted the respect and implementation of the 'duty of political neutrality,' referencing the question of Western Sahara as an unsolved dispute. The UN-led political process seeking to find a solution to the Sahara dossier has been frequently hampered by Algeria's regime's reluctance to shoulder its responsibility in the dispute. Unresolved because of Algeria For decades, Algeria has been hosting, financing, arming, and supporting the Polisario Front, the separatist group claiming independence in southern Morocco. The Algerian regime has publicly refused to take part in roundtable discussions and UN-led and sponsored events convening all parties to the dispute to discuss solutions and potential resolutions seeking to end the stagnating Sahara case. In his report on the Sahara last year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said his envoy's discussions with Algerian foreign officials were met with a firm rejection of the country's participation in the UN-led political process. 'On 27 February 2024, my Personal Envoy met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Algeria, Ahmed Attaf, in Algiers, Algeria. On 16 April, he met again with Mr. Attaf on the margins of the Minister's working visit to New York on Security Council matters,' the UNSG said. Attaf notably conveyed the continued focus of Algeria on 'ensuring Western Sahara's people the right to self-determination,' Guterres recalled, further quoting the top Algerian diplomat as insisting that his country is not a party to the conflict. Resolution 2756 of 2024 also recalled the pressing need for the Algerian regime's involvement, emphasizing the importance of the former roundtable discussions. In addition to its reluctance, Algeria's regime also lobbies against Morocco in different international forums, including the European Parliament. On Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita slammed the attempts and maneuvers carried out by a group of MEPs, who illegally attempted to enter the city of Laayoune. For Bourita, the orchestrated attempts are 'a diversionary maneuver with no impact.' A source told MWN that 'what Minister Bourita said yesterday about the four European parliamentarians supporting the Polisario separatists… perfectly applies to the attempts at disruption currently being led by Algeria, this time in the field of football.' CAS has no say in political issues Beyond Algeria's well-seated hostility towards Morocco, the TAS has been receiving several circulars warning that it should not be instrumentalized in resolving geopolitical and diplomatic conflicts. Although CAS has the full power of review, its ruling considers looking into potential offenses rather than focusing on political or geopolitical issues. In one of its decisions, ' CAS 2018/A/5800, ' the court said that it is 'broadly considered that the measure of a sanction imposed by a disciplined body in the exercise of its discretion allowed by the relevant rules can be reviewed only when such sanction is evidently and grossly disproportionate to the offense.' This reflects the court's policy that its decisions should be made on sports offenses rather than politics or geopolitical issues. Morocco has also been firm about its position, stressing the importance of respecting its sovereignty over its southern provinces and territorial integrity. It remains to be seen whether CAF, an independent body, will respond to CAS's remarks as Morocco is not concerned by the court's decision. Tags: algeria ad polisarioAlgeria and Western Sahara
Zawya
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Mr. Attaf pays courtesy visit to outgoing Lebanese PM
The Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, wrapped up on Sunday his official visit to Lebanon with a courtesy visit to outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut. During the meeting, Attaf congratulated Najib Mikati on his successful leadership of the caretaker government and commended his commitment to strengthening Algerian-Lebanese consultation and cooperation during his premiership. For his part, Mikati asked Attaf to 'convey his brotherly greetings to the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, as well as his heartfelt thanks for his support to the Lebanese Republic, both bilaterally and in Algeria's capacity as an Arab member of the Security Council. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.
