French FM expresses his country’s desire to “rebuild a balanced partnership” with Algeria

ALGIERS – The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, expressed on Sunday his country’s willingness to rebuild a “balanced partnership with Algeria characterized by calm and tranquillity” for the benefit of both countries.

“I have come to Algeria with a message from the President of the Republic, conveying that France is eager to put an end to the current tensions and rebuild a balanced partnership with Algeria, one that is marked by calm and tranquillity,” the French minister said in a statement following his meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

“I am pleased to be in Algeria today, and I thank President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for his invitation. I had an in-depth discussion with him, in the presence of my colleague, (the Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad, and African Affairs) Ahmed Attaf, with whom I also held a very important working meeting this morning,” he added. “I made sure to respond to this invitation as soon as possible, less than a week after the phone call between Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Abdelmadjid Tebboune.”

“In recent months, we have witnessed an unprecedented period of tension, which does not serve the interests of either the Algerians or the French. Certainly, we have differences that cannot be ignored, but the human, historical, and cultural ties that bind us—especially when I think of the many French-Algerian families who share their lives on both sides of the Mediterranean—should guide us toward resuming dialogue and rebuilding cooperation between our two countries,” FM Barrot said, adding that, “Our institutional relations should reflect the significance of the human connections between our nations.”

He emphasized that France “seeks to restore all avenues of cooperation with Algeria, in a manner that serves our shared interests, with the goal of achieving tangible results for the benefit of our citizens.”

“Together with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Minister Ahmed Attaf, we candidly discussed all the issues that have concerned us in recent months, with the aim of implementing the principles outlined by the two presidents during their phone call on March 31, and restoring the dynamism and ambition set forth by the two leaders in the Algiers Declaration of 2022,” he said.

Barrot announced the “reactivation of all cooperation mechanisms” with Algeria. In this regard, he stated, “We have decided to approach this with seriousness, calm, and effectiveness, starting today, by reactivating all cooperation mechanisms across all sectors.”

“Things are returning to normal, and as President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said, ‘The curtain is rising,'” he added.

“The curtain is first being lifted on our cooperation in the security sector, with the resumption of communications between our intelligence agencies,” he explained, adding that “it has also been decided to hold a meeting with the top security officials from both our countries, as well as to initiate a strategic dialogue on the Sahel region.”

In the area of judicial cooperation, the minister said that he had confirmed to the Algerian president about the upcoming visit of the Keeper of the Seals, “which will be accompanied by the resumption of judicial dialogue” between the two countries.

“We face significant challenges in this field, particularly regarding the execution of judicial requests related to sensitive cases involving assets acquired through illegal means.” He added, “The Minister of Justice will have the opportunity to provide further details later, especially regarding the invitation extended by the authorities of the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office to their Algerian counterparts from the relevant judicial bodies to visit Paris and review all the files.”

Regarding mobility, “the two presidents agreed to resume cooperation on migration without delay, as confirmed to me by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune,” the French FM said, noting that issues related to “deportations and visas will be handled through dialogue and the smooth, regular procedures of consular cooperation.”

Barrot also confirmed that Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune “expressed his agreement to hold a future meeting between the Algerian consuls in France and the officials of the French regions.”

“We will now organize this meeting in coordination with the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he added. “We have agreed to work on the content of the agreements governing our relations in mobility and migration, and to identify the necessary adjustments to make them more effective.”

Regarding the economic sector, Barrot said, “We had the opportunity to highlight the challenges that have arisen in recent months concerning the development of our exchanges, particularly in the food industry, the automotive sector, maritime transport, and the advancement of major industrial projects.”

Moreover, Barrot said that President Tebboune confirmed “his readiness to give a new boost to these exchanges, with the president of the French Business Confederation meeting his counterpart, the president of the Algerian Economic Renewal Council, on May 19.”

“We also agreed to hold a meeting before the summer with the Algerian-French Joint Economic Committee to discuss all these issues.”

Regarding the memory file, the French foreign minister emphasized that “communications have resumed between French and Algerian historians within the joint committee.”

“The President of the Republic confirmed to me the invitation of historian Benjamin Stora to Algeria to continue working on the restitution of cultural property, and I will follow up on this with my Algerian counterpart,” he added.

On the diplomatic front, Barrot confirmed that both sides agreed to “resume dialogue between the foreign ministries of the two countries, with the secretaries-general of the ministries scheduled to meet in August.”

On another note, Barrot requested a “humanitarian gesture” from Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune towards Boualem Sansal, due to—he said—”his age and health condition.”