Emmanuel Macron "
regrets the controversies and misunderstandings
" with Algeria and "
has the greatest respect for the Algerian nation
" and "
its history,
" said the Elysee on Tuesday, November 9, in a context of tensions related to recent statements by the French president.
Read also Algerian War: Emmanuel Macron facing the memory trap
"
The President of the Republic regrets the controversies and misunderstandings generated by the comments reported
" and "
he is strongly attached to the development of the relationship
" between France and Algeria, said an adviser during a press brief devoted to the conference on Libya organized on Friday in Paris.
Tensions between Algiers and Paris
Emmanuel Macron had sparked the anger of Algiers after comments reported on October 2 by the daily
Le Monde
accusing the
Algerian
“
politico-military
” system of maintaining a “
memorial rent
” by serving his people an “
official history
” which “
is not based on truths
”. According to the daily, he also affirmed that “
the construction of Algeria as a nation is a phenomenon to watch. Was there an Algerian nation before French colonization? That is the question (...)
”.
"
President Macron has the greatest respect for the Algerian nation, for its history and for the sovereignty of Algeria,
" said the Elysee.
And he wants the bilateral relationship to develop "
for the benefit of the Algerian and French populations but also to respond to major regional challenges, starting with Libya
".
Read also Algeria: Emmanuel Macron on the perilous path of memory
The presidency clarified that Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was invited to Friday's conference to help Libya become a stable country again, in particular by preparing for the presidential election scheduled for December 24. "
Algeria is a major player in the region and the president wishes the participation of President Tebboune in this conference
", according to the adviser.
Tebboune warned on Saturday that he would not take "
the first step
" to try to ease tensions with his French counterpart who, with his words, "
has reopened an old conflict in a completely unnecessary way
".
"
Why did he say that?"
I think it was for strategic electoral reasons
, ”Tebboune added in an interview with the German weekly
Der Spiegel
.
