Algeria Reassesses Its Ties with Syria: Foreign Minister Attaf Visits Damascus
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf meets with Syria’s new leadership in a pivotal diplomatic visit, signaling Algeria’s shifting stance after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Watan-In a move with significant diplomatic and political implications, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has sent his Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, to Damascus to meet with officials from Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s government. This visit comes more than two months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and signals Algeria’s attempt to reassess its ties with Syria amid shifting regional and international dynamics.
Algeria has long maintained close relations with the former Syrian regime, with President Tebboune considering Assad a political ally. However, the regime’s collapse last December prompted Algeria to re-evaluate its stance. While initially cautious in its dealings with the new government, Algeria now appears to be laying the groundwork for a new chapter, particularly since it has not taken an openly hostile position toward Jolani’s faction, whose leaders have been received in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, who previously stated that “Algeria recognizes states, not governments,” is visiting Damascus as part of Algeria’s efforts to establish its position in Syria’s new political landscape. It appears that Tebboune aims to be among the first leaders to officially recognize Al-Sharaa’s government, especially following Algeria’s unprecedented acknowledgment that the events in Syria under Assad were “massacres,” as revealed by Tebboune in an interview with the French newspaper L’Opinion.
Diplomatic sources indicate that Algeria had previously attempted to mediate between Assad and the opposition, proposing a UN-backed dialogue initiative, but these efforts saw little success. However, Attaf’s current visit to Damascus opens the door to new possibilities—whether in the future of Algerian-Syrian relations or Algeria’s potential role in the Syrian file moving forward.
The timing of Tebboune’s decision to send an envoy to Damascus raises questions about Algeria’s broader objectives. Is this move aimed at expanding Algeria’s diplomatic influence in the region by securing favor with Syria’s new leadership? Or is it a more pragmatic effort to safeguard Algeria’s strategic interests without engaging in the complex power struggles shaping Syria’s future?
Attaf’s visit remains a preliminary step, but it could mark the beginning of a new diplomatic relationship between Algiers and Damascus. Will Algeria take on a more active role in Syria? And will we soon see an official Algerian recognition of Al-Sharaa’s government? The coming days will provide the answers.
