Russia fired off a warning against foreign meddling in the political affairs of oil-rich North African country Algeria following the exit of embattled newly resignedPresident Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
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“We hope that, whatever happens, the internal processes underway in this country and which are wholly a matter for interior affairs are allowed to run their course without any interference from third countries,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Bouteflika demitted office Tuesday, after a 20-year rule, amid wide-scale protests and mounting pressure from the army.
“We hope that the political changes will by no means affect the friendly nature of our relations,” Peskov said and added that Moscow has “mutually beneficial, friendly relations” with Algeria and that the two countries share “many joint projects in the economic sphere.”
Algeria’s struggling economy is heavily reliant on oil and gas exports. According to statistics, young people account for 70 percent of the population and one in every four people under the age of 30 is unemployed.