Paris – AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron sent a message to his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in which he congratulated him on the 60th anniversary of Algeria’s independence from France, expressing his hope to “strengthen the already strong relations” between the two countries, according to what the Elysee Palace announced.
The Elysee said in a statement that “the 60th anniversary of Algeria’s independence, on July 5, 2022, is an opportunity for the President of the Republic to send to President Tebboune a message expressing his wishes for the Algerian people, and expressing his hope to continue strengthening the already strong relations between France and Algeria.”
The statement quoted Macron “reiterating his commitment to continuing the process of recognition of truth and reconciliation for the memories of the Algerian and French peoples.”
Despite the passage of six decades since the withdrawal of the French armies, relations between Paris and Algeria have not yet reached their normality, despite Macron’s efforts since his election to calm memory with a series of symbolic initiatives that did not reach the point of offering an “apology”.
After an eight-year war between the Algerian revolutionaries and the French army, the fighting stopped following the signing of the historic Evian Accords on March 18, 1962, which paved the way for the declaration of Algeria’s independence on July 5 of the same year.
And last October, it seemed that relations between the two countries had fallen to their lowest level, when Macron stated that Algeria had been established following its independence on a “memory revenue” behind which was the “military political system,” which angered Algeria.
Relations have gradually improved in recent months, and Macron and Tebboune expressed in a phone call on June 18 their desire to “deepen” them.
At the end of April, Tebboune congratulated Macron on his “Baher” re-election and invited him to visit Algeria.
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