Turkish FM in Algeria tomorrow to discuss Syria developments

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is due in Algeria Sunday on a short visit during which he holds talks with senior officials on the latest developments in Syria and northern Mali. Davutoglu will also discuss with Algerian officials means of boosting bilateral cooperation in all fields, press reports said Saturday. This will be the first visit by a Turkish foreign minister to Algeria in many years. The reports pointed to a "silent crisis" between Algiers and Ankara that was fomented by their different stances toward Arab Spring revolutions, particularly in Libya. While Algeria had big reservations about NATO intervention in Libya, Turkey strongly backed the move against the regime of late president Muammar Gaddafi. During his visit to Algeria, Davutoglu will review a possible Turkey mediation to persuade the international community not to resort to military intervention in northern Mali. Turkey is one of Algeria's top ten trade partners. The volume of trade exchange between Algeria and Turkey reached four billion dollars in 2011. Turkish investments in Algeria amounted to 350 million dollars in 2011. There are 150 Turkish companies operating in Algeria.