French President Emmanuel Macron and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune have pledged to work together again soon, upon the latter's return from Germany where he is being treated for post-Covid complications, according to a press release from the Algerian presidency.
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Emmanuel Macron called Abdelmadjid Tebboune this Sunday evening to inquire about his state of health and "
congratulate him on his recovery,
" said the brief statement.
"
President Macron has informed the President of the Republic of his desire to work together again on issues of common interest, in particular on economic and regional issues and the memorial issue as soon as the president (Tebboune) returns
" to Algiers , adds the Algerian presidency.
For his part, Abdelmadjid Tebboune "
assured his French counterpart of his availability to work on these files upon his return to Algeria,
" the statement concluded without further details.
The Élysée confirmed that the telephone exchange had taken place and that the two leaders agreed to remember after President Tebboune returned to Algiers.
Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 75, underwent “
successful
”
surgery
on his right foot last Wednesday in Germany, following “
complications
” linked to his coronavirus infection, and must be back in Algiers in the “
next few days
”, according to the report. presidency.
No date has been announced for the head of state's return to Algiers.
Mixed reception
Among the priority issues between the two shores of the Mediterranean is the thorny question of the “
reconciliation of
antagonistic
memories
” on French colonization and the war of independence (1954-1962).
Emmanuel Macron has promised to take "
symbolic acts
" to try to reconcile the two countries, but he ruled out presenting the "
apologies
" demanded by Algiers, after the publication this week of a highly anticipated report by French historian Benjamin Stora on the subject.
Recognized specialist in the contemporary history of Algeria, Benjamin Stora proposed in particular to set up in France a “
Memories and Truth
”
commission
which would be “
responsible for promoting joint initiatives between France and Algeria on memory issues.
".
His report has not yet elicited an official reaction in Algiers, in the absence of President Tebboune.
But it received a mixed reception in the media, from certain historians and from many Algerians who regret the absence of excuses for France's “
colonial crimes
”.
