French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Algeria next week in a bid to improve strained ties between Paris and Algiers, 60 years after the country won its independence from France.
Macron accepted an invitation by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, his office said on Saturday. It will be Macron’s second official visit to the North African country after a brief one in December 2017 at the start of his first term when Abdelaziz Bouteflika was still president.
Macron will visit Algeria from Thursday, August 25, to Saturday, the Élysée Palace said in a statement.
French-Algerian ties hit a low late last year after Macron reportedly questioned whether Algeria had existed as a nation before the French invasion and accused its “political-military system” of rewriting history and fomenting “hatred towards France”.
“This trip will contribute to deepening the bilateral relationship looking to the future … to reinforce Franco-Algerian cooperation in the face of regional challenges and to continue the work of addressing the past,” the presidency said after a call between Macron and his opposite number Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
This week’s trip will be the French president’s second to Algeria as head of state, after a brief one in December 2017 at the start of his first term when Abdelaziz Bouteflika was still president. This visit is set to be longer, taking him to the capital Algiers and the second city Oran.
