Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has agreed to hand over power to an elected president, and the opposition will be allowed to take part in the cabinet that will oversee elections, the country's new deputy prime minister said on Monday.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Ramtane Lamamra said the Algerian government had responded to the legitimate demands of the Algerian people.

Lavrov said that Moscow supported the Algerian government’s initiative to hold talks with the opposition after weeks of protests.

Lavrov said earlier on Tuesday that Russia was concerned by the protests in Algeria, which he said it saw as an attempt to destabilize the North African country.

Algeria's President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika is facing a groundswell of discontent and protesters have called for him and his inner circle to step down.

Reuters