AA / Alger
A new orientation emerged in Algeria during the mandate of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, which consists in breaking all ties between the country and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), while his predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika gradually moved to join it in order to break what was likened to a sort of “diplomatic boycott” imposed on Algeria, at the instigation of France, during the decade of the 1990s.
This new orientation is illustrated by Algeria’s non-participation in the Summit of La Francophonie which was held on the Tunisian island of Djerba on 19 and 20 November, even though the degree of representation was low. high, following participating since 2002 as a special guest or observer country during the time of President Bouteflika (1999-2019).
The Djerba Summit is the first of the OIF since President Tebboune came to power at the end of 2019. This Summit was scheduled for 2020 before being postponed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19.
In 2002, Bouteflika was quite enthusiastic for Algeria’s membership of the OIF, indicating at the time that his country was heading calmly but surely on the path to membership of this organization.
However, Bouteflika did not achieve his goal despite his longevity in power (20 years), due to popular rejection as well as several nationalist and Islamist political parties, and even certain lobbies and wings within the regime itself. .
All of these components had rejected Algeria’s membership of the OIF, which they consider to be a French tool to dominate its former colonies, and to avoid the marginalization of the Arabic language in Algeria.
In addition, one of the main demands of the popular Hirak which had put an end to the power of Bouteflika, was the rejection of the domination of the French language in the arteries of the State and the administration.
The former Chief of Staff, General-Major Ahmed Gaïed Salah, was one of the most influential figures who opposed France’s influence in Algeria, especially following the fall from power of Bouteflika, April 2, 2019.
– Absence of the Arab Summit
Despite the strong ties forged between Algeria and Tunisia and the participation of the Tunisian President, Kaïs Saïed, in the Arab Summit, and previously in a military parade in Algiers, the fact remains that this was not enough to ensure President Tebboune’s participation in the Francophonie Summit in Tunisia, even from a protocol and courtesy point of view, which confirms the prevalence of an official and decisive position with regard to this international organization led by the France.
Tebboune’s absence from the Francophonie Summit was predictable, although the French Parliament ranked Algeria as the third country in the world in terms of French speakers with one third of its inhabitants. According to official Algerian figures, these estimates are exaggerated.
This explains France’s determination to have Algeria join the Organization of La Francophonie, with the aim of strengthening its influence in the world and confirming that it still has the status of a power, despite the fall decades of its colonial empire.
One of the indicators of Tebboune’s absence from the Djerba Summit emerges from the Final Declaration of the Algiers Arab Summit, held on November 1 and 2, which did not include any mention of support for Tunisia for the hosting the Francophonie Summit, contrary to the support shown at several summits and international events in several other Arab countries, such as Egypt, Morocco, Qatar, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Although the OIF has several Arab countries within it, such as Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon and even the Emirates, the fact remains that this does not failed to garner support for the Arab Summit.
This makes it likely that Algeria and several Arab countries played a role in the Arab Summit’s lack of support for the Francophonie Summit in Tunisia.
In addition, the tense relations between Morocco and Tunisia during the recent period as well as between Rabat and Paris have caused the Cherifian kingdom to avoid supporting the holding of the Summit in Tunisia, while absenting itself from this meeting. .
– Changed the diplomatic atmosphere
Between 2002 and 2022, many things have changed in Algeria, which explains Bouteflika’s concern to participate in the Francophonie Summit in return for the nonchalance of Tebboune, who preferred to go to Qatar to take part in the opening of the World Cup. football instead of heading to Djerba to attend the Summit of La Francophonie.
Indeed, in 2002 Algeria was barely emerging from a security crisis and European diplomatic isolation, in addition to an insistent questioning by France of the legitimacy of the 1999 presidential election, sanctioned by the came to power following all six of his rivals withdrew from the race, arguing the existence of falsifications.
Algeria’s situation at the time was bad and its debt had reached 26 billion dollars. Therefore, his participation in the OIF was intended to break the diplomatic boycott imposed on him by European countries.
The situation in 2022 has changed, since Algerian debt is almost non-existent and the country has become a preferred destination for senior officials and European leaders, who need Algerian gas to replace the losses of Russian gas.
The trade balance has recorded a positive figure since 2021 and it is expected that this figure will reach, at the end of 2022, some 17 billion dollars, which has contributed to increasing foreign exchange reserves, which have increased from 42 billion dollars in 2000 to over $54 billion by the end of the present year, according to recent estimates.
Moreover, the stabilization of the political and security situation following the completion of the amendment of the Constitution and the organization of presidential, legislative and local elections, have strengthened Algeria’s diplomatic position vis-à-vis France and allowed Paris to be dealt with more firmly.
Algeria’s participation in the Francophonie Summit would not have brought it any political interest, but on the other hand would have damaged the government’s image at the popular level and would contradict the general orientation in the country aimed at getting rid of the influence of the French language.
The current Algerian government is working to gradually get rid of the domination of the French language by strengthening the teaching of English in public schools.
Similarly, some ministries have taken the initiative to send their official correspondence in Arabic instead of French, which establishes the orientation aimed at gradually getting rid of the use of French in government circles.
– Macron’s visit did not resolve outstanding issues
Tebboune’s trip to Qatar, the same day as the start of the work of the Francophonie Summit in Tunisia, also coincided with reports by the media evoking the freezing by Algeria of its negotiations with France on the subject of the increase of 50% in its gas exports.
The question concerns the hardening by Paris of its policy of granting visas to Algerians, in return for the pressure exerted on Algiers to be able to turn back irregular migrants on French soil.
On the sidelines of the Francophonie Summit in Tunisia, Macron stressed that the French decision to halve the number of visas granted to Algeria and Morocco has begun to bear fruit.
Algeria, for its part, refused to link the visa file to that of irregular migrants.
The two issues were discussed during Macron’s visit to Algeria as well as during the trip by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and her meeting with her Algerian counterpart, Aimen Abderrahmen, last October.
The fact of not resolving the visa file as well as the status quo in the file relating to memory and the war of liberation with their various variations and complexities, are two other factors which have hindered Algeria’s participation in the Summit. of La Francophonie, thus diminishing French influence in the region.
This reality was acknowledged by Macron when he indicated that the use of the French language in North Africa has declined in recent decades.
*Translated from Arabic by Hatem Kattou
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