Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun meets Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in bid to boost relations

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun arrived in Algeria Tuesday on a two-day state visit, where he was welcomed by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and the accompanying Lebanese delegation on the tarmac.

The trip aims to revitalise bilateral relations and reinforce Lebanon’s diplomatic engagement with Arab states.

Mr Aoun is accompanied by Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji and Information Minister Paul Morcos, the Lebanese presidency said.

It marks the first official visit by a Lebanese president to Algeria since Emile Lahoud travelled to the North African nation in 2002. In 2013, then-president Michel Sleiman made a brief technical stop in Algiers, where he was received at the airport by Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

This week’s visit is being framed as a strategic step intended to reinvigorate co-operation across sectors, particularly energy.

Mr Aoun praised the long-standing relationship between Lebanon and Algeria, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

“It brings me great joy to set foot on the beloved land of Algeria – a brotherly nation that has always shown deep affection for Lebanon and its people,” he said.

He commended Algeria’s unwavering support for Lebanon during critical moments, notably its positions at the UN during the war with Israel and its swift humanitarian aid after the Beirut port explosion in 2020.

“Over the past decades, Algeria has generously supported Lebanon and consistently stood by us during the most difficult times. It has always been present and proactive in assisting Lebanon. The Lebanese people will never forget Algeria’s stance at the UN Security Council during the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, in addition to the urgent aid it sent to Beirut following the port explosion in 2020.”

The leaders of the two countries held a high-level summit featuring expanded bilateral talks.

Key outcomes included the resumption of direct flights from Algeria to Lebanon in two weeks and discussions to establish a maritime route linking Algeria to Tripoli Port. The two sides also agreed to revive the political consultation mechanism – dormant since 200 – and signed a preliminary agreement to enhance media co-operation.

During the visit, “we will discuss with the Algerian leadership ways to develop economic, commercial, cultural and media co-operation, and enhance exchange in the fields of education, health and technology”. said Mr Aoun. “We will also address common Arab issues and regional challenges, based on our belief in the need for joint Arab action that achieves peaceful solutions and fosters constructive dialogue on all matters concerning our peoples.”

Since taking office in January, Mr Aoun – a former commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces – has prioritised restoring Lebanon’s ties with Arab nations as a cornerstone of his foreign policy. In his inaugural address, he underscored a commitment to strengthening alliances with Arab and Gulf partners, judicial and economic reform and consolidating the state’s monopoly on arms.

His diplomatic agenda has so far included high-level visits to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and most recently, Bahrain, where plans were finalised to establish a permanent Bahraini diplomatic mission in Beirut and expand bilateral co-operation.

These visits reflect an effort to reset ties with the broader Arab world, re-establish confidence and secure crucial support as Lebanon struggles with a deep-rooted economic crisis that began in 2019 and the aftermath of a year-long war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

The international community has tied major aid and investment to comprehensive reforms and the disarmament of non-state forces, chiefly Hezbollah and Palestinian factions.

In February, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf visited Beirut, where he met Mr Aoun.

Relations between Beirut and Algiers have experienced ups and downs. Algeria has offered Lebanon support in recent years. Last year, it donated 30,000 tonnes of fuel oil – enough to generate 250 megawatts of electricity for about 20 days – after the country’s only remaining operational power plant in Zahrani shut down because of fuel shortages.

Lebanon's electricity sector has been crumbling for about three decades given a lack of investment and corruption, failing to provide round-the-clock electricity.

The country has a complex history with Algeria's national state-owned oil company Sonatrach.

In 2020, the company ended its fuel supply contract with Lebanon after a high-profile scandal exposed deep corruption and mismanagement within Lebanon’s energy sector.

The contract, signed in 2005 and renewed several times, had allowed Sonatrach’s offshore unit to supply fuel oil for Lebanon’s power plants.

However, in early 2020, Lebanese authorities launched an investigation revealing that the supplied fuel was substandard and failed to meet required specifications.

The deal, for which terms were kept secret for 15 years, was initially thought to be a state-to-state agreement. However, a Lebanese judicial investigation revealed that Sonatrach's subsidiary actually subcontracted the delivery to private companies, which were accused of falsifying laboratory results and bribery.

Sonatrach denied any involvement in shipping tainted fuel. The Algerian presidency described the case as a “Lebanese-Lebanese issue” in which Algeria was not involved.