French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne (G) and her Algerian counterpart Aïmene Benabderrahmane, on October 9, 2022 in Algiers (AFP/Alain JOCARD)
Accompanied by fifteen ministers, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived in Algiers on Sunday for a visit intended to give “new and concrete impetus” to the reconciliation initiated in August by the presidents of the two countries.
The head of government was greeted by her counterpart Aïmene Benabderrahmane when she got off the plane.
“The time of misunderstanding is behind us,” she told the Algerian site TSA before her trip.
Ms. Borne started her visit with memorial gestures, like President Emmanuel Macron during his visit at the end of August which, after months of tension, helped to warm up relations between the two countries.
She laid a wreath at the Monument des Martyrs, a high place of Algerian memory of the war of independence (1954-1962) facing France, as well as at the Saint-Eugène cemetery in Algiers, where many French people born in Algeria.
As a prelude to this trip, Mr. Macron spoke by telephone on Sunday with his counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune, again pleading for the realization of the “renewed and ambitious partnership” decided five weeks ago.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne (D) and her Algerian counterpart Aïmene Benabderrahmane, on October 9, 2022 in Algiers (AFP/Alain JOCARD)
Nothing is expected during this two-day visit on the sensitive issue of the memory of colonization and the war in Algeria.
The French and Algerian presidents announced in August the forthcoming installation of a commission of historians which is “still in the process of being set up”, according to Paris.
Elisabeth Borne will have lunch on Monday with President Tebboune, who signed with Mr. Macron on August 27 an “Algiers Declaration” around six areas of bilateral cooperation.
– “Economic cooperation” –
Ms. Borne and her Algerian counterpart are due to chair a meeting of the High-Level Intergovernmental Committee (CIHN) on Sunday, the last edition of which dates back to 2017, where it will mainly be a question of “economic cooperation”.
The holding of the CIHN in itself “is already a step forward” in the political dialogue, according to Hasni Abidi, director of the Center for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World (Cermam) in Geneva.
The CIHN must conclude with the signing of “agreements”, which will not necessarily be business contracts and will relate to training, energy transition, economic cooperation, youth and education, as well as questions of defense and diplomacy.
It is for Paris to give a “new impetus” to the Franco-Algerian relationship.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne (G) and her Algerian counterpart Aïmene Benabderrahmane, on October 9, 2022 in Algiers (AFP/Alain JOCARD)
However, on the delicate question of visas, “the discussions have not yet succeeded”, according to the services of the Prime Minister.
At the end of August, the presidents of the two countries paved the way for a relaxation of the visa regime granted to Algeria, in exchange for increased cooperation from Algiers in the fight against illegal immigration.
This question has poisoned the bilateral relationship since France halved the number of visas granted to Algeria, which was deemed not prompt enough to readmit its nationals expelled from France.
– No gas –
The visit of Mr. Macron, accompanied by the president of Engie Catherine MacGregor, had generated a lot of expectations on deliveries of Algerian gas to France, in the context of a scarcity of Russian gas in Europe.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne (L) and her Algerian counterpart Aymen Benabderrahmane, on October 9, 2022 at the government palace in Algiers (AFP/Alain JOCARD)
This file “is not on the agenda” of the visit, according to Matignon. Ms. Borne told TSA that she would “nevertheless continue to develop our partnership in this sector with Algeria, particularly in terms of LNG, and to increase the efficiency of its gas production capacities”.
Ms. Borne only took one large group with her, Sanofi, which has an insulin factory project, and four SMEs: Générale Energie, which plans to build a plant for recycling and processing olives, Infinite Orbits, which has a project for the first Algerian microsatellite, Neo-Eco, which works on the treatment of waste such as asbestos, and Avril, which specializes in the processing of cereals.
French Presidents Emmanuel Macron (L) and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) on August 27, 2022 in Algiers (AFP/Archives/Ludovic MARIN)
For its part, Business France, a public structure responsible for international investment, is taking several dozen companies to the Franco-Algerian Business Forum, which will be inaugurated on Monday by the two Prime Ministers.
Another axis of the visit, the youth, whom Ms. Borne will meet on Monday, in particular at the French high school.
“If it is not a question of memory, or security, or our supplies, what is the use of a trip of such magnitude? Asked Friday the deputy of the right-wing opposition (LR , The Republicans) Michèle Tabarot.
© 2022 AFP
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