Elisabeth Borne will travel to Algeria on October 9 and 10 to concretize with her Algerian counterpart Aïmene Benabderrahmane, in an intergovernmental committee, the “partnership” concluded between the presidents of the two countries at the end of August, Matignon announced on Saturday.
Reaffirm their determination to promote friendship between the two countries
“In line with the Joint Declaration of Algiers for a renewed partnership between Algeria and France”, adopted on the occasion of the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron at the end of August, “members of the French and Algerian governments will meet to reaffirm their determination to promote friendship between France and Algeria and deepen bilateral cooperation in areas of common interest.
Announcements will be made “soon” on a possible increase in deliveries of Algerian gas to France, in the midst of an energy crisis fueled by the war in Ukraine, government spokesman Olivier Véran also specified the day after the visit of ‘Emmanuel Macron in Algeria, who was pleased that Algiers is helping “to diversify” Europe’s gas supplies.
Elisabeth Borne, accompanied by several members of the French government, will co-chair, “with her Algerian counterpart Aïmene Benabderrahmane the fifth session of the high-level intergovernmental committee” (CIHN), specified Matignon.
“The youth of both countries” will be on the menu of this high-level intergovernmental committee, “which will also make it possible to move forward on economic issues and ecological transition”, specifies Matignon.
Emmanuel Macron’s visit must be accompanied by concrete actions
“A renewed, concrete and ambitious partnership”: after months of crisis, Emmanuel Macron and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune had engraved in stone on August 27, in a joint declaration, the relaunch of bilateral ties, at the end of a visit of three days of the French Head of State in Algeria. But it must now be accompanied by concrete actions.
The Algerian president had mentioned, during this visit, the relaunch of several intergovernmental committees including the CIHN, the joint Franco-Algerian economic committee, the Algerian-French strategic dialogue committee and “an intensification of high-level visits”. It was also planned to “intensify cooperation at all levels and trade”.
During this visit, the two leaders had also 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.
On the sensitive subject of the memory of colonization and the war in Algeria, a commission of Algerian and French historians must also be set up to examine “without taboos” the archives of the two countries.