RPT: PREVIEW - Russian Foreign Minister To Start North African Tour On Thursday

ALGIERS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2019) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to start a three-day diplomatic tour to Maghreb states on Thursday, during which he will meet with the leadership of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia and hold talks with his counterparts.

The sides will discuss bilateral relations and exchange views on pressing international and regional issues, including the crises in Libya and Syria.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow finds it extremely important to compare notes on approaches to settling the crises in the middle East and North Africa, as well as in the Sahara-Sahel Region.

"Algiers, Rabat and Tunis are pursuing an active foreign policy, making a significant contribution to multilateral efforts to respond to new challenges and threats, including global ones. The deepening of coordination with them fully meets Russian interests," the ministry said.

Algeria, along with Morocco and Egypt, is one of top three trade partners of Russia on the African continent. For two consecutive years, bilateral trade has been standing at $ 4.6 billion.

One of the Moscow-Algiers common objectives is to unlock full potential of the Russian-Algerian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, according to the ministry. The next session of the meeting will take place in Russia on January 28-30.

As for the history of Russian-Algerian cooperation, it dates back to the 1960s, when the Soviet Union assisted the African country in creating national energy and mining sectors, as well as machine industry.

The two countries have also traditionally maintained active defense industry cooperation. In December, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu mentioned Algeria among the country's priority partners for such cooperation.

According to Russian media reports, Algeria is interested in purchasing Russia's MiG-29 fighter aircraft.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita invited Lavrov to visit Rabat during the latest meeting in September on the sidelines of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The economic cooperation between Russia and Morocco has reached the biggest progress in the energy sector, covering such projects as the Jerada Thermal Power Station, the Mansour Eddahbi dam, the 200-kilometer (124-mile) power transmission line, as well as the Moulay Youssef hydroelectric power station.

Another symbol of fruitful bilateral cooperation is the al Wahda hydroelectric complex, one of the largest in the Arab world and Africa.

In 2017, the Russian-Moroccan trade amounted to $1.46 billion.

In Tunisia, Lavrov will discuss prospects for bilateral cooperation and deeper coordination on international issues, including the Libyan crisis settlement.

Russian-Tunisian relations have been developing dynamically in recent years. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, bilateral trade increased by 10 percent to $511 million, including $360 million in exports and $140 million in imports.

Russian exports are still dominated by commodities: petroleum products (53 percent), agricultural products (23 percent), metals and metal products (12 percent), as well as sulfur, timber and wood, machinery, equipment and vehicles.

Tunisia, in turn, exports fruit, vegetables, olive oil and seafood to Russia. Tunisia is also a popular destination for Russian tourists. Last year, 600,000 Russian tourists, which is nearly 100,000 more than in 2017, visited the North African country. The Russian Foreign Ministry also stressed that it welcomed the Tunisian authorities' efforts of to ensure security for Russian nationals.

The visit comes as tensions in Libya have escalated over recent days. Last week, clashes broke out to the south of Tripoli and in the airport area between forces belonging to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and the 7th Infantry Brigade from the southeastern city of Tarhuna. According to medics, 29 people have been killed in clashes, with 60 more injured.

Meanwhile, the Libyan National Army announced the beginning of a large-scale operation in mid-January to liberate the region from the terrorists of the Islamic state and al-Qaeda terror groups (both banned in Russia).

Libya has been in a state of turmoil since the overthrow and killing of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country is divided between two governments, with the eastern part controlled by the Libyan National Army, and the western part governed by the GNA.

The existence of two governments and collapse of Libya's security system after Gaddafi's overthrow led to an increase in activity of armed rebel groups and terrorist organizations. Due to the lack of centralized power and unified army, Libya has become a center for smuggling and a transit point for undocumented migrants from Africa who try to reach Europe.