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Emmanuel Macron in Algeria
Photo: Anis Belghoul/AP
France and Algeria want to work more closely together in the fight against illegal immigration and people smuggling.
French President Emmanuel Macron said during his three-day visit to Algiers that it was about taking action against gangs of people smugglers and returning illegal immigrants more efficiently.
In addition, it must be prevented that mercenary troops like the Russian group Wagner spread further in the region.
Macron is the first French president born after Algeria gained independence.
Algeria is the only former French colony in Africa to break free of French domination by force of arms.
After almost eight years of war, the North African country gained its independence in 1962.
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in the Algerian war, around 400,000 Algerians and 100,000 French.
Relations between the two countries had suffered greatly in the past year.
Above all, Macron's critical comments about the Algerian government had caused trouble.
France's president had also raised the question of whether the North African country had been a nation before French colonial times.
Algeria then angrily recalled its ambassador.
The dispute was later settled.
Against this background, the French President has announced, among other things, that a commission of historians from both countries will be set up to deal with the "complex" and "painful" past.
Algeria's head of state, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, spoke of a "successful visit" by the French president - and both of a "new era".
In their joint statement, the two politicians affirmed that they wanted to lay the "foundation" of a renewed and "privileged partnership" based on concrete projects.
They announced the creation of a "High Cooperation Council" to jointly discuss "bilateral, regional and international issues" in the future.
The common history with Algeria was "never easy," said Macron.
In the meantime, however, she is also characterized by "respect, friendship and, I dare say, love".
France doesn't need Algeria's gas as badly as other EU countries
The European energy crisis was also an issue during the delicate visit.
Algerian gas supplies to France should continue at stable levels and may increase slightly in the coming months, Macron said.
For France, the deliveries from Algeria are proportionally not so large that they play a decisive role in the current energy crisis.
In its energy mix, France is only 20 percent dependent on natural gas, 8 to 9 percent of which comes from Algeria.
For Europe as a whole, however, it is a help that Algeria has agreed to increase deliveries to Italy.
Cultural and political stop in Oran
During his visit, Macron also traveled to the city of Oran and visited the legendary record shop »Disco Maghreb« there.
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Photo: Oleg Cetinic / AP
The location should not have been chosen by chance by Macron's team.
World-renowned DJ Snake, who has an Algerian mother and French father, released a song named after the record store in May that has been viewed almost 80 million times on YouTube.
dop/dpa/AFP