MOSCOW: Algeria’s Deputy Prime Minister Ramtane Lamamra has expressed thanks for the support Russia has given in resolving the crisis currently engulfing his country, but stressed it was an internal issue.
“I am pleased that Russia understands this is an internal issue that we are capable of resolving,” Lamamra said. He added that the Algerian government had responded to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people.
Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has agreed to hand over power to an elected president, and the opposition will be allowed to take part in the cabinet that will oversee elections.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said on Tuesday that Moscow supported the Algerian government’s initiative to hold talks with the opposition after weeks of protests.
Lavrov made the comments after meeting Lamamra in Moscow on Tuesday.
