Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will pay a state visit to France in June, the Algerian presidency announced on Sunday, after a telephone conversation between him and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. During this meeting, the two Heads of State “discussed bilateral relations and the means of strengthening them, including the State visit of the President of the Republic to France, which they agreed to organize the second half of June,” the presidency said in a statement. This visit was initially expected in May.
Dispute around a Franco-Algerian activist
The announcement of this new date comes a month after Paris and Algiers officially turned the page on the latest diplomatic crisis between the two countries. During a telephone interview on March 24, the two heads of state had raised “misunderstandings” linked to a falling out around a Franco-Algerian activist. Despite a ban on leaving the territory in Algeria, this activist, Amira Bouraoui, entered Tunisia on February 3, before being arrested when she was trying to board in the direction of Paris. She was finally able to fly to France on February 6 despite an attempt by the Tunisian authorities to deport her to Algeria.
Algiers had ruled that his departure for France constituted an “illegal exfiltration” carried out with the help of French diplomatic and security personnel and had recalled its ambassador to Paris for consultation. After a severe cold snap in the fall of 2021, France and Algeria had sealed a warming during Emmanuel Macron’s trip to Algiers last August, before this new estrangement, yet another twist in very close relations. restless.
Rebuild a more peaceful relationship
The question of the memory of the colonization of Algeria by France in the 19th century and of the Algerian war (1954-1962) constitutes one of the great sensitive points of the relationship between Paris and Algiers, at the heart of several disputes these last years. The two countries are now stepping up their efforts to rebuild a more peaceful relationship. The commission of French and Algerian historians created to work on French colonization and the war in Algeria held a first meeting on 19 April.
The creation of this independent body of ten members was announced last August in Algiers by the two Heads of State. It is a question of “working on the history of contemporary Algeria, to better understand each other and reconcile the wounded memories”, had specified the Elysée in a press release.