Algeria and France have agreed to exchange visits by high-ranking officials to put an end to tensions that had emerged between them in 2019.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had paid a visit to Algeria on Tuesday with diplomatic sources revealing to Asharq Al-Awsat that Algiers and Paris agreed on exchanging visits later this year.
Ties became strained when France was accused of being involved in the developments that followed the resignation of president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April. Algiers, for its part, demanded that Paris show “greater flexibility” towards visa applicants to France.
Bouteflika’s decision to run for a fifth term in office prompted mass protests last year. Protesters had criticized France of remaining “silent” over arrests that targeted them, saying it was seeking “to maintain its interests and ties with the regime”.
France was also indirectly accused by late military chief Ahmed Gaed Salah of providing financial support to a separatist movement. A French diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat that both parties’ accusations were baseless.
“It wasn’t possible to comment on the developments in Algeria because the authorities approach internal issues very carefully. At any rate, France supports the Algerian people’s aspiration for democracy and Algeria’s stability is a top priority,” he added.
The Algeria Press Service reported that Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum affirmed, during his meeting with Le Drian Tuesday, that further flexibility is needed in the visa application to France and with a manner that “is up to the level and volume of the bilateral relations.”
Boukadoum said Algiers and Paris agreed to reactivate the various mechanisms that exist between them, particularly the joint Algerian-French economic committee.
He added that he also discussed with Le Drian French investments in Algeria and the latter’s support for French businessmen operating in the North African country.
Le Drian told a joint press conference with Boukadoum that "Algeria is a power of balance and peace, firmly attached to the respect of the sovereignty of the states and to political dialogue.” This was revealed recently after it launched several diplomatic initiatives, he remarked, hinting at the crisis in neighboring Libya.
