HISTORICAL BACKROUND
The political relations between Algeria and Brazil are excellent. Brazil was one of the first countries to open an embassy in Algeria in 1962. The works of the great Brazilian architect Oscar Neimeyer in Algeria also testify to the bonds of friendship between our two countries.
During the period of the military regime, Algeria welcomed many Brazilian refugees who fled the regime's persecution, including the former governor of Pernambuco and a major figure of militancy at the time, Miguel Arraes, who lived in Algeria for 14 years (1965-1979).
In the 1980s, there was a recovery in Algerian-Brazilian relations, which culminated in two state visits, the first in 1983 by Brazilian President João Figueiredo, followed by a return visit by President Chadli Bendjedid.
During this period, the signing of several agreements that establish the legal framework for bilateral cooperation should be highlighted: the Agreement on Economic, Commercial, Scientific, Technological, Technical and Cultural Cooperation (1981); The agreement establishing a joint Algerian-Brazilian committee (1981), Trade Agreement (1981) or the Economic Cooperation Agreement (1985). The first session of the Joint Grand Commission was held in Algiers in 1987.
However, in the 1990s, bilateral relations were somewhat lethargic. In the 2000s, Presidents Bouteflika and Lula gave a great boost to bilateral relations. The two heads of state decided to translate the friendship and sympathy that unite the two countries into cooperation projects.
President Bouteflika's visit to Brazil in 2005 and President Lula's visit to Algeria in 2006 initiated a new dynamic aimed at building an exemplary relationship in the context of South-South cooperation. Several technical missions, businessmen, policy makers and authorities were carried out to follow up on the decisions made by the presidents. Cooperation projects were agreed upon in sectors such as energy, health, agriculture, handcrafts, and water resources, among others.
In addition, the two countries have many converging views on regional and international issues. They jointly advocate political dialogue as a means of resolving conflicts rather than foreign interventions.
Bilateral political consultations are organized periodically under a Strategic Dialogue Mechanism. Also, the visits made to both parties testify to the excellence of these relations, as well as their dynamism. The fifth session of political consultations took place via videoconference, in March 2021.
In addition to the areas covered by the joint committee, bilateral cooperation also includes two aspects whose role should not be overlooked: the businessmen's meetings, the last of which dates back to 2018 in Algiers. The parliamentary friendship groups of both chambers are also helping to consolidate bilateral relations.
Finally, we need to mention that the ties that bind our two peoples are very old and date back to well before Algeria's Independence in 1962. In fact, it is since the time of the "Regency of Algiers" or the reign of Emir Abdelkader, a great Algerian figure, that diplomatic, human and social ties link the two countries. In this context, we need to remember the existence of exchanges of letters, photos or documents between Emir Abdel Kader and the Emperor of Brazil.