Chadli Bendjedid
Saudi Arabia actively supported the Algerian revolution in 1954 that led to the emancipation of Algeria from the French occupation. On 24 November 1986 two countries signed economic, cultural and technical agreements. In March 1987 the ruler of Saudi Arabia, King Fahd, paid an official visit to Algiers and met President Chadli Bendjedid. During the 1980s Algerian young people were sent by the Algerian government to Saudi Arabia for education in the Islamic sciences. This strengthened the Da’wa Salafism, a Salafi inspired social movement, in Algeria.