Relations soured final 12 months after Emmanuel Macron’s feedback on Algeria’s historical past led to a diplomatic rift.

French President Emmanuel Macron will go to Algeria subsequent week in a bid to enhance strained ties between Paris and Algiers.

Macron accepted an invite by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, his workplace mentioned on Saturday. It is going to be Macron’s second official go to to the North African nation after a quick one in December 2017 at the beginning of his first time period when Abdelaziz Bouteflika was nonetheless president.

French-Algerian ties hit a low late final 12 months after Macron reportedly questioned whether or not Algeria had existed as a nation earlier than the French invasion and accused its “political-military system” of rewriting historical past and fomenting “hatred in direction of France”.

Algeria withdrew its ambassador in response, however the two sides seem to have mended ties since.

“This journey will contribute to deepening the bilateral relationship trying to the long run … to bolster Franco-Algerian cooperation within the face of regional challenges and to proceed the work of addressing the previous,” France’s presidency mentioned in a press release after a name between Macron and Tebboune.

Macron is to go to the previous French colony from August 25-27.

The North African nation gained its independence from France following a gruelling eight-year struggle, which ended with the signing in March 1962 of the Evian Accords.

On July 5 of the identical 12 months, days after 99.72 % voted for independence in a referendum, Algeria lastly broke free from colonial rule – however reminiscences of the 132-year occupation proceed to hang-out ties with France.

Second journey

Algeria’s struggle of independence left a whole lot of 1000’s useless. French historians say half-a-million civilians and combatants died – 400,000 of them Algerian – whereas the Algerian authorities insist 1.5 million had been killed.

However six a long time on, regardless of a string of gestures by Macron, France has dominated out any type of apology for the colonial interval.

The French presidency introduced an upcoming go to as Algeria reels from devastating wildfires exacerbated by local weather change.

Fires in northeastern Algeria have killed 38 individuals, and ravaged greater than 10 % of a UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve.

Whereas the northeastern fires have been largely extinguished, firefighters fought two blazes within the far west on Saturday, the Algerian civil defence mentioned.

Macron supplied Tebboune France’s land and air firefighting companies to assist, the presidency mentioned.

Because of its massive pure gasoline reserves, Algeria not too long ago has additionally change into a centre of consideration for the European Union in its efforts to chop again imports from Russia.

Macron’s journey would be the French president’s second to Algeria as head of state, and can take him to each the capital Algiers and second metropolis Oran.

Tebboune, Bouteflika’s former prime minister, gained presidential elections in 2019 after mass protests compelled his ageing predecessor to resign.