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‎Rise of Algeria, as a Contributor to Stability and Growth in North Africa and the Mediterranean Regions

September 22, 2022 

Algerian FM, Ramtane Lamamra, meets with the US State Department Official, Barabara Lev, in New York, September 21, 2022	Algerian Speaker of the National People's Assembly, Ibrahim Bougali, September 21, 2022

‎Italy's supply of Algerian gas will exceed 25 billion cubic meters before the end of 2022‎

Akher Sa'a, September 21, 2022

Algeria, which has "special" relations with Italy, guarantees the country's gas supply, as it plans to raise its supply to more than 25 billion cubic meters before the end of the year, the Ministry of Energy and Mines said in a statement. The recent meetings between the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and his Italian counterpart, Mr. Sergio Mattarella, as well as the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, have contributed to the strengthening of the energy partnership between the two countries.

Algeria, which is "fulfilling its obligations with Italy" by delivering to date 17.8 billion cubic meters of gas, has cemented its position as the first gas supplier to Italy, which "will receive an additional 10 billion cubic meters of gas" in the coming months, the same source adds. The increase in gas production and the recent discoveries made by Sonatrach will also contribute to "further consolidating Algeria's position as the first gas supplier to Italy in accordance with the decisions of the two presidents."‎

حجم امدادات ايطاليا بالغاز الجزائري سيتجاوز 25 مليار متر مكعب قبل نهاية 2022 | آخر ساعة (akhersaa-dz.com)

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‎Bogali: ‎‎ Algeria Proud of Support for Palestinian Cause ‎

‎El-Massa, September 21, 2022

He received the President of the Palestinian National Council..

❊ The Arab summit is appropriate to unify the word of the Palestinian factions‎.

‎❊ Algeria under the leadership of President Tebboune will give impetus to the central issue.‎

‎The Speaker of the National People's Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Bougali, during his reception yesterday, his counterpart, the Speaker of the Palestinian National Council, Mr. Rohi Fattouh, reiterated Algeria's permanent pride in its support for the Palestinian cause, which it considers a priority.‎

‎According to the Council's statement, Mr. Bougali stressed that the Algerian people look forward to "bringing together the Palestinian factions on one word and ending the division to start a new page of national unity," before adding that "the Arab summit in Algeria will be conducive to achieving this on the basis that it will be held with the aim of consolidating the unity of the Arab ranks."‎

‎Mr. Bougali also stressed that Algeria, under the leadership of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, is working to bring the Palestinian cause back to the fore and expressed his confidence that the upcoming Arab summit will produce outputs that will live up to the aspirations of the Arab peoples. For his part, Mr. Rohi Fattouh commended Algeria's efforts in its support for the right of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent State and took the opportunity to recall that the Palestinians had always been inspired by the values of the Algerian revolution in their struggle against the occupation.‎

‎On the other hand, the head of the Palestinian National Council expressed optimism about the success of the Arab summit to be hosted by Algeria next November and explained that "the weight of Algeria today under the leadership of Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune and its huge balance of political and militant experiences will inevitably give more impetus to the Palestinian cause and will enable it to propose objective solutions to Arab reunification."‎

المساء - الجزائر تعتز بدعمها للقضية الفلسطينية (el-massa.com)

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‎United Nations General Assembly: President Tebboune's initiatives are appreciated by the international community ‎‎

Written by ‎El-Djoumhouria (the Republic), September 22, 2022 11:10 AM ‎

‎The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly continues with the organization of several high-level meetings in which the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, Ramtane Lamamra, participated, where his talks demonstrated the great appreciation that foreign partners have for the key role played by Algeria under the leadership of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in the Arab and African arenas.

In this context, Minister Lamamra recorded Algeria's presence on Wednesday at the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, where he stressed the need to strengthen the role of the Movement in the midst of escalating tensions at the international level, recalling in this context the proposal made by the President of the Republic aimed at launching "a collective effort to create conditions conducive to enabling the Non-Aligned Movement to contribute to avoiding further escalation". and the promotion of balanced and friendly relations among nations on the basis of the principles and ideals enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations."

The same concerns regarding international tensions against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis were at the heart of the discussions that marked the work of the ministerial meeting of the "Friends of Mediation" group under the co-chairmanship of Turkey and Finland. Minister Lamamra reminded his counterparts from Member States of the track record of Algerian diplomacy in the field of mediation and the peaceful settlement of disputes, the latest of which was the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali emanating from the Algiers Process, calling in this context for "being informed by the lessons learned from these successful experiences and activating them to enable the United Nations to play its role, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter VI of the Charter, which provides for the peaceful settlement of disputes".

On the other hand, the head of Algerian diplomacy participated in the meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change held at the headquarters of the African Union Mission in New York under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto. This meeting falls within the framework of the preparation of the twenty-seventh Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) from 6 to 18 November. In his intervention, Minister Lamamra stressed the need to unite the positions of African countries by renewing the call for redoubling efforts towards "actual and effective climate action that takes into account the priorities of the African continent, especially with regard to repeated attempts aimed at weakening the principle of common and differentiated responsibilities."

On the sidelines of the session, Lamamra was received by the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, where he was informed of an oral message from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune regarding the continuous coordination between the leaders of the two countries on the horizon of the next Arab Summit in Algeria. He also held talks with Grenada's Prime Minister, Thomas Mitchell, as well as with his counterparts from Venezuela, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda, as well as the US Deputy Secretary of State. Most foreign partners appreciated Algeria's efforts to unite the Palestinian ranks and its efforts to support stability in Libya, Mali and the Sahel and Sahara region in general.‎

elDjoumhouria : الجمهورية

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‎Algeria is a strong partner for peace in the region ‎

El-Massa, September 21, 2022

‎The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, Ramtane Lamamra, held bilateral meetings yesterday with his counterparts from Malta, Saint Lucia‎‎, Federal Germany, Bulgaria and Croatia, on the sidelines of his participation in the ongoing work of the high-level segment of the 77th session of the General Assembly held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. ‎

‎Lamamra also received the U.S. State Department official in charge of North Africa and the Middle East, Barbara Lev, and held a working session with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.‎

‎In addition to reviewing bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them, these meetings were renewed opportunities to confirm Algeria's firm positions and its objective reading of various developments at the international and regional levels, as well as its efforts to contribute to the promotion of peace and stability and the development of peaceful solutions to crises. ‎

‎For her part, US official Barbara Lev praised Algeria as a strong partner in bringing peace and security to the region and the African continent, at the end of a rich meeting with Minister Lamamra during which they focused on Algeria's efforts and endeavors at the Arab and African levels to serve the goals of peace and stability.‎

‎Lamamra was intensely active during his participation at the head of an important delegation in the high-level meetings of the 77th session of the General Assembly that opened on Tuesday, where he supervised the launch of the campaign to promote Algeria's candidacy for non-permanent membership in the Security Council during the period 2024-2025, where banners were erected at the United Nations headquarters to present the candidacy, focusing on Algeria's readiness to make a qualitative contribution to the activities of the Council pursuant to the directives of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune. ‎

‎Lamamra, by the way, stressed Algeria's commitment to its balanced principles and positions based on its objective vision of resolving crises through peaceful means, and also participated in the work of a ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of the International Development Initiative, which was established at the initiative of the Chinese President in order to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations development agenda in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he stressed during the meeting the need to adopt a practical approach with a special focus on developing countries affected by the food crisis, and stressed the need to mobilize Funding needed to implement the 2030 Agenda, calling in the same context for strengthening the fight against illegal financial flows, corruption and money laundering. ‎‎ ‎‎Lamamra also reiterated Algeria's conviction of the need to establish a new international structure to achieve more effective cooperation in the field of development on the basis of sovereign equality among States and taking into account the concerns of developing countries.‎

المساء - الجزائر شريك قوي لإحلال السلام في المنطقة (el-massa.com)

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Algeria Is Helping To 'Diversify' Europe Gas Supplies: Macron

By AFP - Agence France Presse August 26, 2022

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Algeria has helped Europe diversify its energy supplies by pumping more gas to Italy, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday during a visit to Africa's top gas exporter.

Dismissing suggestions that Italy and France were "in competition" for Algerian gas, Macron welcomed a deal Algeria signed last month to pump more gas to Italy.

The deal is "good for Italy, it's good for Europe and it improves the diversification of Europe," he told reporters.

European nations have been scrambling to reduce their reliance on Russian energy since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine six months ago.

Italy's Eni, US major Occidental, France's Total and the Algerian group Sonatrach signed a $4 billion, 25-year oil and gas production-sharing contract last month that will provide Rome with "significant volumes of natural gas", Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said at the time.

An Algerian government source also said the North African country would increase gas exports to Italy by four billion cubic metres.

Italy buys the majority of its natural gas from abroad, with about 45 percent of its imports historically coming from Russia.

Since February it has sought to boost supplies from Algeria, which has a pipeline through which it can pump gas to Italy.

Algeria supplies around 11 percent of the natural gas consumed in Europe.

Surviving the Fed Is as Easy as One, Two, Three | Barron's (barrons.com)

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Why can’t Algeria solve Europe’s gas woes?

By Robin Mills | Syndication Bureau

EUR Active.com, Aug 18, 2022

Algeria is one of the major suppliers of natural gas to Europe. However, it is not the ultimate solution to Europe’s gas needs because of its own upstream constraints, non-aligned stance, and complex and opaque decision-making, writes Robin Mills.

Robin M. Mills is CEO of Qamar Energy and author of ‘The Myth of the Oil Crisis’.

European politicians have been scouring their neighbourhood to find new gas supplies to replace those threatened by Russia.

They have secured some promises in their tour that took them from Azerbaijan via the Gulf to Egypt and Israel. They have visited Algeria too – but Africa’s largest country and biggest gas producer remains a prickly partner.

Algeria exports gas via pipelines to Spain and Italy and by tankers from two liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants. It has long played a critical role in Europe’s gas balance as the third-largest supplier (after Russia and Norway), providing 10 per cent of the continent’s imports.

Outgoing Italian prime minister Mario Draghi visited Algiers on 18 July and came back with a promise from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to supply $4 billion worth of gas. 

State firm Sonatrach says it has delivered more than double the forecasted amount to Italy so far this year. 

The TransMed pipeline that links the countries via Tunisia has been out for maintenance; after its intended restart this week, flows will have to speed up significantly to reach the target.

Algeria achieved record gas output last year, with a leap to more than 100 billion cubic meters (bcm), a surprise after a period of stagnation since 1999 when production has wobbled between 80-90 bcm per year. 

The country consumes about half of its produced gas itself, and rising domestic use had been eating into exports, but the production boost saw exports at levels not hit since 2008.

This may have been a false dawn. The ability of Algeria to help Europe through its gas crisis – profiting handsomely in the process – is hampered by two factors: capacity and politics.

After 2021’s record, gas exports fell sharply in the first half of 2022. While flows to Italy have risen a little, those via a pipeline to Spain and Morocco, and LNG supplied by ship, have all dropped.

The culprit is a little puzzling. Supplies to Morocco have been cut off entirely following the expiry of the contract for the Gaz Maghreb Europe (GME) pipeline and a major political bust-up between Algiers and Rabat over the disputed territory of Western Sahara and Morocco’s normalisation with Israel.

GME runs on to Spain, and, though its loss has partly been substituted by higher flows through another pipeline – the Medgaz line that runs directly under the Mediterranean from Algeria to Spain – this is not a complete replacement.

Spain has begun supplying Morocco by running GME in reverse, irritating Algiers, which does not want its gas circuitously reaching its rival. On July 24, Sonatrach reported that Medgaz suffered a breakdown in the Spanish leg of its subsea route, but Spanish operator Enagas denied this. The incident might have been intended as a warning.

Algeria could have directed the gas not going to Morocco and Spain to its LNG plants, which are running at only 40 per cent or so of their capacity. Yet supplies from these also dropped.

Domestic demand would have risen, and, as Algeria’s oil production ceiling under the OPEC+ deal rises, it may need to re-inject more of the produced gas to support oil output.

None of these factors seems fully sufficient to explain the drop, and with record-high European gas and LNG prices, Algeria has every incentive to maximise sales.

It may be trying to put pressure on its customers to raise the prices in their contracts, and indeed it has signed a revised, higher-priced deal with Engie of France.

So far, therefore, Algeria’s contribution to replacing Russia has largely been limited to cutting overall exports while switching supplies from Spain to Italy.

That shift is not a bad thing for European energy security: the Iberian Peninsula has surplus LNG import capacity and very limited connectivity with the rest of the continent, while Italy has typically obtained almost half its gas from Russia and a quarter from Algeria.

But if Algeria could get back to the export levels of the first half of last year, another annual ten bcm would be a helpful if not huge contribution to replacing 130 bcm of Russian gas.

Algiers, though, dances to no one’s tune but its own. With high hydrocarbon prices, its shaky fiscal situation is improving, and it holds the upper hand in negotiations. It has strong relations with Russia, whose foreign minister Sergei Lavrov visited in May.

The country has long been accused of underinvestment, unattractive fiscal terms and painfully slow bureaucracy, hampering hydrocarbon sector development.

But new deals have been signed since a new oil law was passed in 2019, notably a $4 billion oil project with ENI, France’s TotalEnergies and the US’s Occidental.

Italy’s ENI has been particularly active, agreeing to take additional volumes of gas through the TransMed pipeline and to invest in boosting Algerian production.

At the start of July, Sonatrach announced a large discovery at its biggest gas field, Hassi R’mel, which will be developed speedily to add 3.65 bcm of annual production from November, very favourable timing with the European winter looming.

But other major new additions won’t arrive until 2024, while Sonatrach continues to battle rising domestic demand and decline from maturing fields.

For Algeria to help alleviate the European gas crisis, diplomacy will have to continue, which might require some awkward concessions from Spain.

European solidarity will be important to limit competition between Madrid and Rome. Gas distribution companies will probably have to bite the bullet by paying significantly higher prices.

On a more positive side, Europe can offer to help tackle the eight bcm of Algerian gas that goes up in smoke each year – flared at the fields because of limited capacity to gather, process and transport it. It can save Algerian domestic gas by cooperating on Saharan solar power.

So, facing its own upstream constraints, non-aligned stance, and complex and opaque decision-making, Algeria is no saviour for Europe’s gas needs.

Still, with some intelligent diplomacy and investment, Europeans may still be able to coax some more much-needed energy from the Sahara.

This article was first published with the Syndication Bureau, an opinion and analysis syndication service focused on the Middle East, providing its subscribers with insights from writers who have deep expertise in the region. 

Why can’t Algeria solve Europe’s gas woes? – EURACTIV.com

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