"Desert Shield" exercises confirm the depth of the strategic partnership between Moscow and Algeria, Algerian Parliamentary Vice Speaker Bouteldja Allel told Sputnik on Wednesday.
Allel also stated that the annually held military exercises are a great chance for both countries to adopt the latest methods of each other’s work. He also praised general Russian-Algerian cooperation.
"Algeria acquires Russian weapons on a regular basis and in large quantities. Therefore, relations between the two countries have been and will continue to be strategic for many decades. It is critical for us that the Russian Armed Forces share their knowledge of weaponry and security strategies. Although, undoubtedly, relations between the two countries extend far beyond the scope of military-industrial complex cooperation," he pointed out.
Several times during his speech, Allel underlined the scope of cooperation between the two countries, which is of a high level and spans many fields.
"The exercises are also an extremely important part of the strategic cooperation between the two countries. I emphasize that a very high level of mutual communications was registered at the level of the presidents of our countries: Vladimir Putin and Abdelmadjid Tebboune,” he stated.
The speaker echoed Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra’s recent words about the upcoming visit of the African country’s president to Russia, which is expected to happen before the end of the year.
"The upcoming high-level visit contributes to the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries," Allel concluded.
Earlier, Lamara expressed hope that the Algerian president’s visit “will mark the beginning of a new stage in our relations”.
In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the two countries' intention to sign an agreement marking a "new quality" in bilateral relations.
The ongoing “Desert Shield” operation, carried out at the Hammaguir base in the west of Algeria, brings together 200 soldiers from Russia and Algeria, and is not aimed at "any third country," according to Moscow.
This mutually conducted military exercise is not the only one to be held this year. In October, Russian warships docked in Algiers for a joint exercise with the Algerian Navy. Likewise, in September, Algerian soldiers took part in the Vostok-2022 military drills in Russia's Eastern Military District.
The very first joint exercises between the two countries were conducted in October 2021 at the Tarskoye South Ossetia training grounds in North Ossetia, Caucasus, Russia.