France Seeks “Good Relations” with Algeria Amid Diplomatic Tensions
French Foreign Minister Urges a New Phase in Bilateral Ties While Addressing Migration Disputes
Watan-French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated on Tuesday that France seeks to establish “good relations” with Algeria, expressing hope that Algerian authorities will “enter a new phase” in bilateral relations by addressing migration issues.
During a session in the National Assembly, Barrot emphasized, “France certainly aspires to maintain good relations with Algeria, a neighboring country with which we share close ties.” He added, “For this to happen, tensions must subside, but calm cannot be imposed unilaterally.”
Deep Diplomatic Crisis Over Western Sahara
French-Algerian relations have been experiencing a deep diplomatic crisis since July 2024, when Paris announced its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan as a solution to the Western Sahara dispute. The United Nations classifies Western Sahara as a “non-self-governing territory,” and the region has been the subject of a decades-long conflict between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.
Barrot stressed that “France is not responsible” for the current escalation, saying, “It was not France that arbitrarily detained a French-Algerian writer. Nor is it France that refuses to take back its nationals who are in an irregular situation on Algerian territory.” He reiterated that France wants to resolve these tensions “under the right conditions and without weakness.”
Migration Dispute
The French minister also mentioned that Paris had submitted to the Algerian authorities “a list of Algerian nationals who must leave French territory.” He expressed hope that “the Algerian authorities will accept this list, thus paving the way for a new phase in our relations that would allow us to resolve our disputes and explore potential strategic cooperation.”
Barrot emphasized that the issue should not be conflated with “the thousands of people in France who have ties to Algeria and are in no way connected to the difficulties we face with Algerian authorities.” He stated that he would “soon be speaking with representatives of this community.”
Algerian President Calls for Dialogue
In early February, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune criticized the “harmful atmosphere” between the two countries in an interview with L’Opinion newspaper. He had previously indicated that dialogue should resume, but only if French President Emmanuel Macron expressed a clear willingness to do so.
