French foreign minister visits Algeria after months of political tension

ALGIERS, Algeria/ISTANBUL

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in Algeria for an official visit on Sunday after months of political tension.

The top French diplomat was welcomed by his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf, at the Foreign Ministry headquarters for talks, the Algerian state television reported.

Barrot is expected to hold talks with Algerian officials during his visit to discuss a host of issues between the two countries, the broadcaster said.

On Monday, Algeria and France expressed their commitment to reviving their dialogue following a phone call between Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

The Algerian-French relations have been increasingly strained since last summer, when Algeria withdrew its ambassador from Paris over France’s support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara.

The situation escalated further in November after Algerian authorities arrested French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal at Algiers Airport, accusing him of undermining the country’s territorial integrity through his criticism of Algerian authorities.

Diplomatic tensions between the two countries frequently resurface, largely due to the historical impact of French colonial rule over Algeria.

• Ahmed Attaf
• Algeria
• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot