'First Foreign Investor': How Did Turkey Beat France in Algeria?

With the "dramatic decline" in Algerian French relations, with diplomatic crises and sharp statements between the leaders of the two countries, relations between Ankara and Algeria have been moving towards an escalating rapprochement and closer cooperation in a range of political and economic issues.

When Algeria recalled its ambassador from Paris for consultations, in response to French President Emmanuel Macron's increasingly offensive allegations against the "Algerian nation," it was steadily signing several joint agreements with Turkey in several areas, as part of ongoing cooperation that began 15 years ago timidly, and today it is reaching advanced levels.

With this new deal, Turkey has become one of the most investing and present countries on the Algerian stage, seeing it as a partner more than just an investor or a friendly country, but an "inspiring model" of renaissance on one floor, where ideological and regional affiliation stand.

 

New Agreements

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan was the first head of state to arrive in Algeria in January 2020, after the inauguration of his current counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune in December 2019, demonstrating Turkey's aspirations for close cooperation with Algeria and sending a message to the Arab country and its new leadership.

On November 10, 2021, Turkey and Algeria signed agreements for cooperation in several areas, the first of which is veterinary health.

In addition to other areas that are prepared and equipped for them, including cooperation between the Turkish academy of justice and the high school of justice in Algeria, others related to consumer protection and product quality control, as well as a cooperation agreement in the field of work, employment and social security.

Preparations are also underway for the establishment of the Algerian Turkish chamber of commerce and industry, and the final part of the agreement contains understanding in the field of environment.

Turkish minister of industry and natural resources faith dunums, Ankara’s representative in the agreements signed with Algeria, said Turkey's investments in Algeria amounted to $5 billion in textile, iron, and steel sectors and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Turkish companies in Algeria have contributed to creating 30,000 jobs, he said, adding that "Turkey aims to make Algeria a gateway to the region and the continent of Africa."

He then heads to the western Algerian state of Oran to visit the iron and steel plant in Batwa municipality, which was completed by tussle iron & steel, turkey's largest investment outside its territory, with production for the year (2020) of about 2.23 million tons of various ferrous products, employing approximately 3,800 workers.

In February 2018, during Erdogan’s official visit to Algeria, Algeria and Turkey signed seven agreements on cooperation and partnership in various fields.

Among the agreements signed is a memorandum of understanding and cooperation between the Algerian Sonatrach complex and the Turkish oil and gas company BOTAS, where the areas of bioenergy and oil that Turkey is interested in and take a special look at, in addition to the Algerian giant Sonatrach, first place in Africa for oil companies.

 

Algeria’s Importance

Algeria is one of the main destinations in Turkish foreign policy, in its modern sense following the beginning of the Turkish renaissance with the rise of the justice and development party to power in 2002.

"Turkey and Algeria have historical ties spanning five centuries, and my visit aims to strengthen bilateral relations and areas of cooperation between the two countries, based on the agreement of friendship and cooperation signed during my visit to Algeria in 2006," Erdogan said ahead of his important visit to Algeria in early 2020.

"Algeria enjoys excellent relations with the Turks, who have invested nearly $5 billion without any political demands in return," president Tebboune said in remarks to the French magazine le point on June 4, 2021.

"Those who have been disturbed by this relationship should only come and invest with us," he said, referring clearly to France.

According to the Algerian investment development agency (APS), Turkey became the country's number one foreign investor in 2021, and more than 1,300 Turkish companies operating in Algeria were counted in different sectors.

Algeria’s importance to the Turks has been evident since 2006 when it signed the treaty of friendship and cooperation during Erdogan’s historic visit to Algeria and was then prime minister.

Under the agreement, Turkey in 2017 rebuilt and restored the Kashiwa Mosque in Algeria.

As the largest Arab and African country in terms of area and with abundant human and natural resources, particularly oil and gas, Ankara has made it the center of its openness to the Maghreb, the Mediterranean countries, and the African depth.

Since 2006, Erdogan’s frequent visits to Algeria have been a sign of a strategy to deepen the political, economic, security, and cultural relationship between the two countries.

One of the most prominent areas where Turkey needs Algeria is the provision of gas, while Turkey's dependence on Russian and Iranian gas reached 70 percent in 2009, it fell to 45 percent in 2020.

In contrast, the amount of gas coming to Turkey from Azerbaijan and Algeria was estimated at 26 percent in 2009, before rising to about 36 percent in 2020, and the proportion is expected to rise further in the coming years, as relations grow, according to Turkey's ministry of industry and natural resources.

 

Turkish Model

On May 28, 2020, the center for middle east studies held a seminar entitled "prospects for Turkish Algerian relations" for a group of researchers and politicians from both countries, where the intervention of the professor of University of Constantine, Mounira Bouderdaben, touched on Turkish attractions for the Algerian public.

"Turkey's economic and social appeal to the Algerian public justifies the scale of Turkey's economic incursion into Algeria, which has created a positive image of a strong and superior economic and industrial country compared to the local experience of the same cultural and social space," Bouderdaben said.

"Turkey's political popularity among the Algerian public is justified by structural and political contact factors, which are the strength of the attractiveness of the Turkish model to Algerians," she said.

"The time has come for us to rewrite our shared history ourselves, relying on our historians and reviewers, especially the ottoman archives, between 1516 and 1830," Algerian ambassador to Turkey Mourad Adjabi said at the seminar.

"There are privileged relations that bring Algeria and Ankara together at various levels," he said, adding that the two countries are working to value their common cultural heritage, such as the restoration of some Ottoman-era historical monuments.

"The two countries have a historic opportunity to promote relations as a model, given the political will of the leadership of two countries that occupy an important place in the Muslim world," he said.

In an article published on Al Jazeera on January 29, 2020, the Turkish academic Yasin Aktay, speaking about Turkey's soft power and its association with Algeria, beyond the prospects for economic and political cooperation, considered that "the most important wealth for Algeria is its large proportion of young people, which is a huge human resource if managed correctly."

"The presence of this youth ratio is an abundant source of the labor market, as well as a very great opportunity to institutionalize a good education," he said.

"The Algerian people are the most exceptional example for Turkey, in terms of preserving its identity and authenticity against colonialism, through struggle, struggle and noble resistance," Aktay said.