French President Emmanuel Macron travels to Algeria on Thursday 25 August for a three-day visit. It was at the invitation of his counterpart, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. This is Emmanuel Macron’s second visit as head of state. This is Emmanuel Macron’s second visit as head of state. The French president hopes to strengthen the relationship with Algiers. Relationships more or less degraded by a difficult sequence in the relations between the two countries.
An “official and friendly” visit. This is the theme used to evoke Macron’s trip to Algeria. According to the Élysée, this is not a state visit as one might have thought. The meeting between the French and Algerian Presidents therefore promises to be a breath of fresh air to revitalise Franco-Algerian relations, which were previously at a standby.
A dispute settlement meeting between France and Algeria.
Several comments made by Emmanuel Macron were not appreciated by Algiers. In 2021, the French president had considered that the Algerian regime was exploiting a “memory rent” and had even questioned the existence of an Algerian nation before colonisation. These remarks were soon regretted by Emmanuel Macron, who spoke of a “misunderstanding“. The arm wrestling over the allocation of visas, the number of which Paris had decided to reduce, a subject that the Élysée Palace said was on the way to being resolved, also dealt a heavy blow to relations with Algeria.
The visit to Algeria is a good opportunity for the French Head of State Emmanuel Macron to plug the gaps. By staying for three days and also going to Oran, he wants to show the importance of this visit and address the whole of Algeria, and especially the youth. Macron’s agenda includes several meetings, notably with young entrepreneurs.
But it must be noted that the main thing remains the creation of a favourable climate for rebuilding relationships with Algiers and talking about the future.
