Algeria–Ukraine relations
Encyclopedia
Algeria–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

 and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. Algeria recognized Ukraine’s independence in 1992. Diplomatic relations between both countries were established in 1993.

Algeria has an embassy in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

. Ukraine has an embassy in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...

 (opened in 1999).

History

Algeria recognized Ukraine’s independence in 1992. Diplomatic relations between both countries were established in 1993. Soon (1993–1994), military and trade agreements between two countries were signed.

The USSR being one of the major supporters of independent Algeria, the economic connections between the Soviet Ukraine
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...

 and Algeria were fairly significant, since a large portion of Soviet industries (in particular, of the aerospace industry), as well as the major port of Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...

 were located in that republic. After Ukraine declared its independence, economic connections between the two countries continued, Algeria and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 remaining, as of the early 2000s, the two most important trade partners of Ukraine in the region of Africa and the Middle East.

Political contacts between the two countries lagged the development of economic contacts; it was not until 2002 that the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko
Anatoliy Zlenko
Anatoly Maximovich Zlenko is a Ukrainian diplomat. He was formerly the foreign minister of Ukraine.-References:...

 visited Algeria the first. As Ukrainian analysts noted at the time, one of Ukraine's priorities in the development of its relations with the North African countries at the time was extending the spectrum of economic relations: moving from exporting metals, chemicals, and foodstuffs to selling civilian and military aircraft and other high-tech products. A Ukrainian products' exhibition, Algeria-Ukraine 2002 took place in Algeria the same year, and a tax treaty
Tax treaty
Many countries have agreed with other countries in treaties to mitigate the effects of double taxation . Tax treaties may cover income taxes, inheritance taxes, value added taxes, or other taxes...

 was signed.

The overall volume of trade between the two countries reached US$355 million in 2003. That included at least some amount of weapons trade. For example, it was reported that in 2003 Ukraine sold to Algeria 5 MiG-29 fighters and 16 Mi-24 helicopters, buying back some old MiG-21s.

A bilateral agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use of outer space was reached in 2007.

In 2008, capitalizing on the large "installed base" of Soviet-made (that is, often, produced in Ukraine) equipment used by the Algerian military
Military of Algeria
The People’s National Army is the armed forces of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. Algeria has a large and reasonably well-equipped military to counter foreign and domestic threats...

, Ukraine reached an agreement with Algeria concerning provision of maintenance, repair, and upgrade services. The agreement, which also provided for exchanging military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...

s, was signed by the two countries defense ministers during the visit of the Ukrainian Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov
Yuriy Yekhanurov
Yuriy Ivanovych Yekhanurov is a Ukrainian politician who was Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2005 to 2006 and Minister of Defense in from 2007 to 2009...

 to Algeria. According to the news reports, Algerian top officers visiting Ukraine were reported as particularly interested in visiting Ukrainian aerospace companies (such as Antonov
Antonov
Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex , formerly the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. Antonov ASTC is a state-owned commercial company...

 and Luch), and the armored vehicles repair plant in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

.

Ukraine's trade with Algeria in 2009 was worth $300 million, but recent years trade between Ukraine and Algeria has fallen.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK