French Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Algerian Abdelmadjid Tebboune turned the page on Friday March 24 from the latest diplomatic crisis between the two countries and announced their desire to continue to "strengthen bilateral
cooperation
", according to the Elysee.
They raised during a telephone interview the "
misunderstandings
" linked to the falling out around a Franco-Algerian activist and "
agreed to strengthen the communication channels (..) to prevent this type of regrettable misunderstanding from happening again
". , added the French presidency in a press release.
Read alsoOQTF: strong tensions between Paris and Algiers over visas and consular passes
An activist at the heart of the quarrel
Despite a ban on leaving the territory in Algeria, activist Amira Bouraoui entered Tunisia on February 3, before being arrested when she tried to board in the direction of Paris.
She was finally able to fly to France on February 6 despite an attempt by the Tunisian authorities to deport her to Algeria.
Algiers had judged that his departure for France constituted an "
illegal exfiltration
" carried out with the help of French diplomatic and security personnel, and recalled its ambassador to Paris, Saïd Moussi, for consultation.
"
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has informed the Head of State of the return to France of the Algerian ambassador in the coming days
," said the Elysee, confirming a statement to this effect from Abdelmadjid Tebboune this week.
Read alsoDiplomatic crisis between Paris and Algiers
Amira Bouraoui rose to prominence in 2014 when she opposed a fourth term for then-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika before becoming involved in the “
Hirak
” protest movement.
She was sentenced in June 2020 to one year in prison before being granted provisional release in July of the same year.
After a severe cold snap in the fall of 2021, Paris and Algiers had sealed a warming of their relations on the occasion of Emmanuel Macron's trip to Algiers last August, before this new estrangement.
Moreover, according to the Élysée, the two presidents "
reported on the bilateral relationship and on the implementation of the Algiers Declaration signed during the visit of the President of the Republic to Algeria in August last.
They stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in all areas, in view of the state visit to France by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune
”.
“
The two presidents also addressed regional stability issues, in particular the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.
», concludes the French presidency.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/EXJQILQR5QI7OMVRTERD7AEZAU.jpg)
