Abdelmadjid Chikhi: “France Hasn’t Delivered A Single Document Of Algerian Archives Since 2010”

Algeria has made several attempts to establish an official channel with the French side and other countries on the vexed issue of retrieving the Algerian archives from abroad.
However, Algeria has encountered numerous hurdles that are mainly due to the lack of political will between the parties, including a reluctant party and a lenient party.

The year 2010 was the date of the signing of a relevant agreement with the French side.
“However, we have not retrieved since then any archive-related document due to the suspension of contacts from relevant French authorities”, the General Manager of the National Archives, Mr Abdelmadjid Chikhi told the press on Sunday.
“We are now asking for retrieving the original archives, and not the electronic version presented by France, and here lies the problem of non-cooperation of public authorities at all levels and sectors but this pressing concern will be raised during a planned meeting with the French side,” he added.
Mr Chikhi also pointed out that the archives sector does not enjoy the necessary cooperation with its clients that make it an important institution and thus be able to efficiently perform its tasks.
He further underlined that Algeria has had an active role in the International Council of Archives through a positive participation.
The archives sector, he stated, has become almost a tourist organization, where meetings are held here and there across the world without concrete results.
“I had been in a tough confrontation with the international archives council until I was able to establish a commission at the level of the latter to follow up the matter with the former colonial countries,” he underscored in this regard.