According to a press release by the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL), a Government Agreement for cooperation in “space exploration and the use of outer space for peaceful purposes” was signed between the governments of Algeria and Russia during President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s State visit to Russia from 14 – 16 June 2023. This agreement establishes the fundamental terms of bilateral relations in space activities, including intellectual property protection, information exchange, export control, technology protection, and other joint endeavours.
The cooperation outlined in this agreement encompasses various areas:
- such as space sciences, technologies, and applications;
- space communications and related services;
- satellite navigation and related technologies and services;
- space geodesy and weather;
- training and knowledge transfer in the space field; and
- the international legal regulation of space activity.
Moreover, on June 16, 2023, ASAL’s Director General, Azzedine Oussedik, participated in a plenary session focused on space cooperation with the BRICS countries during the 26th International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg. This session was organised by the Russian Government and the Russian Space Agency “Roscosmos” and included the heads of space agencies from the BRICS states, as well as representatives from Indonesia and Malaysia.
In his speech, the Director General emphasised the significance of President Tebboune’s State visit in strengthening space cooperation between Algeria and Russia and expressed the potential for extending this cooperation to other BRICS and BRICS+ countries due to Algeria’s excellent relationships within this alliance.
Furthermore, he highlighted that Algeria has already signed space agreements with certain BRICS countries, including the Russian Federation (government agreement signed on June 15, 2023), India (government agreement signed in September 2018), China (government agreement signed in December 2013), and South Africa (Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2018). Regarding space cooperation within BRICS+, he further expressed his belief in implementing projects of mutual interest and the opportunity to enhance Algeria’s space capabilities by leveraging the expertise of advanced countries in the field, such as Russia, China, and India.
