France and Algeria to ease tension… French Foreign Minister: We want to turn the page on tensions with Algeria and begin a new phase
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that his country wants to turn the page on current tensions with Algeria and return to cooperation for the mutual benefit of both parties.
The French Foreign Minister explained in a statement following a lengthy meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and another with Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf that a new phase in our relationship of equals with Algeria has begun, following a severe crisis between the two countries.
He affirmed the two countries’ shared desire to raise the curtain on rebuilding a peaceful partnership, announcing a comprehensive resumption of bilateral relations, particularly in the security field and the memory issue.
Barrot indicated that a next meeting of senior intelligence officials from both countries is scheduled, and that there will be a “strategic dialogue on the Sahel region.
On another front, judicial cooperation has been reactivated, with French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin set to visit Algeria.
An invitation has also been issued to the public prosecutor’s office in charge of corruption cases to investigate cases of illicitly acquired funds of Algerian officials in France.
Regarding the issue of mobility, cooperation in the field of migration was reactivated, with issues such as visas and the expulsion of irregular migrants being addressed within the framework of existing agreements, through normal procedures.
On the economic front, Barrot said that President Tebboune assured him of his intention to give this issue renewed momentum, in light of the difficulties facing French companies in the food industries, agriculture, automotive, and maritime transport sectors.
A meeting between representatives of French and Algerian businessmen will be held in Yarze next May.
He also announced the reopening of the memory issue, with the joint committee of historians resuming its work.
Historian Benjamin Stora is expected to visit Algeria after being invited by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to continue work on the recovery of cultural property.
Following a phone call a few days ago, French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune agreed on the principle of relaunching bilateral relations between the two countries and tasked their foreign ministers with giving a rapid boost to their relations.
The two presidents thus put an end to an eight-month crisis of rare intensity that had brought the two countries to a near-diplomatic rift.
