Algeria: foreign minister calls for Syria’s return to Arab League

Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra has criticised Syria’s continued suspension from the Arab League. It absence, said Lamamra yesterday, has been “detrimental to joint Arab work.”

Speaking during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Miqdad, in Damascus, the Algerian official revealed the conclusion of agreements with the Syrian government to strengthen economic and trade cooperation.

Miqdad pointed out that, “Algeria stood by the Syrian people throughout the crisis years and condemned terrorism and Western sanctions. Syria’s main concern is to strengthen Arab solidarity and present a united front in the face of common challenges.”

In an interview with a local newspaper following his meeting with President Bashar Al-Assad, Lamamra said that Syria is an “essential” part of the Arab arena. “As a founding member of the Arab League, the Arab world needs Syria, not the other way around.” He reminded journalists about Algerian efforts to break the Arab and international political siege of Damascus.

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