French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Algeria on Thursday for an official three-day visit, accompanied by an important delegation of 100 members, with the aim of strengthening bilateral economic and diplomatic relations.
This is the French president’s second visit to the country and the first during the mandate of his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune -elected in December 2019-, who received him upon arrival at the airport.
Paris seeks to strengthen bilateral relations, marked during the last year by continuous friction and disapproval of the colonial past, with this visit that coincides with the 60th anniversary of Algeria’s independence.
Macron is accompanied by the Ministers of Economy, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Culture and Sports, as well as the executive president of the main French gas company, Engie, Catherine McGregor, although no new gas supply agreements are foreseen.
The war in Ukraine has reinforced Algeria’s status as a key partner in the supply of gas to the European continent. This African country is the third largest supplier of gas to the European Union (EU), accounting for 8.2% of the bloc’s imports from 27 countries in 2021, and Algiers has already begun to increase gas supply to the European continent, mainly through the gas pipelines that link the country to Italy and Spain.
Parliamentarians, intellectuals from the diaspora, businessmen and heads of economic and cultural organizations and organizations also participate in this visit.
Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune greeted Macron at Algiers airport, first with a handshake and then a hug, before listening to their countries’ national anthems.
After attending a ceremony at the Martyrs’ Monument, which honors those who died during Algeria’s struggle for independence, Macron is received at the presidential palace for a meeting and dinner.
Paris will address the current energy and migration challenges on this trip, confirmed the Elysee (French Presidency), with a broad agenda that includes social and cultural meetings, including a full day in the historic city of Oran, the second largest in Algeria.
One of the main priorities for France is to reach an agreement so that the Algerian authorities accept their citizens who have been expelled by France for being in an irregular situation or convicted by the French judicial system.
Macron will have a second meeting with Tebboune on Friday, in the presence of the French army chief and the defense and foreign ministers, to discuss peace and stability in the region, after France completed the withdrawal of its troops from Mali to early this month.
Paris still maintains troops in the wider Sahel region, but the epicenter of the operation has moved to Niger.
Source: TSF
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
