ALGIERS, Algeria

Algeria and Russia kicked off a four-day joint military exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, the Algerian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

A group of warships belonging to the Russian fleet docked in the port of Algiers on Tuesday to conduct the 2022 joint naval exercise, the ministry said in a written statement.

The exercise was carried out to strengthen military cooperation between the Algerian and Russian navies, it added.

A minesweeper belonging to the Russian navy docked in the port of Jijel on the eastern Mediterranean coast in September to conduct joint exercises with the Algerian navy.

Russian and Algerian warships carried out joint naval maneuvers in the Mediterranean last November, including various tactical and interceptive exercises.

Algeria is one of Russia's most important military allies on the African continent and also one of the largest customers of Russian weapons in the region.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz