Algeria (agencies)
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he will sign, today, Saturday, with his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, a “renewed partnership” agreement, to give an impetus to relations and overcome the apathy they have witnessed in recent months.
In a speech to a crowd of the French community in the capital, Macron said: “I will return after Oran to Algiers to greet President Tebboune and his ministers, and to sign a joint declaration, which was decided yesterday, because things are going well in light of the enthusiasm of the moment.”
The French presidency spoke of the agreement, which it is hoped will establish a “renewed, tangible and ambitious partnership”.
Macron added that with Algeria “a story that has never been simple, but a story of respect and friendship and we want it to remain that way, and I dare say it is a story of love.”
He stressed that he will work on a “new partnership for and through youth”, which includes accepting an additional 8,000 Algerian students to study in France, bringing the total number of Algerian students accepted annually to 38,000.
The French president stressed that he wants to “establish cooperation projects in all fields”, economic and artistic, especially cinematic.
He also stressed his defense of the idea of facilitating the access of some categories of Algerians to French visas, in order to contribute to the emergence of a “new French-Algerian generation in the economy, arts, and others.”
After his meeting with young Algerian entrepreneurs, Macron also called for “structuring innovative projects”, and the public investment bank “BPI France” will have a major role in promoting the community’s projects.
He pointed out that the Algerian community, whose members mostly speak French, Arabic, English and other languages, as well as young people from both sides of the Mediterranean, represent an “opportunity” for both countries.
Macron’s visit schedule states that he will head to Oran, western Algeria, known as a center for rai music.
Today, he will meet in Oran, young artists, athletes and dancers, as well as visit the store of the famous rai music production company “Disco Maghreb”, which returned to the spotlight after being featured in the video of the song of the famous French-Algerian singer DJ Snake.
Macron and Tebboune spoke for hours yesterday, alone and in the company of ministers from the two countries, including the defense ministers.
Discussions extended until late at night on the issue of visas, according to Macron, after France decided in the fall of 2021 to halve them for Algeria.