Advocates For De-Escalation With Algeria Warn Against Right-Wing Adventures

The former Socialist candidate for the French presidential elections, Ms. Ségolène Royal, for the second time in two days, warned the French of the risks of losing Algeria amidst the repeated hostile campaigns led by those who yearn for the somber colonial era, as she described them, and called for an urgent reconciliation to preserve what remains of French interests in Algeria.

In an audio recording on her “X” platform account, on Wednesday, April 29, titled: “Why relations between Algeria and France must be calm,” she expressed her condemnation of the “aggressive rhetoric” that characterizes the French scene in dealing with Algeria, and addressed the French, saying: “You have the right to understand and develop your own visions, away from those who still yearn for French Algeria, and have never accepted decolonization, and believe that they can win some votes by appeasing those who yearn for French Algeria.”

Ms. Royal, who heads the “France-Algeria Association,” founded by General de Gaulle in 1963, refuted the speeches of symbols of the French right and far-right, who present readings contrary to reality, claiming that Algeria is suffering from isolation, citing frequent visits, including that of the Pope, and said: “Today, Algeria’s neighbors have good relations with this country, which the Pope himself recently visited.”

She added, commenting: “This is clear proof that this country (Algeria) is not the caricature that some in France are trying to paint of it today, in a way that harms the interests of France and the French.”

Ms. Ségolène Royal stressed: “It is in France’s interest to build win-win relations with Algeria,” a matter she said would help Paris achieve some of its concerns, foremost among them the deportation of Algerian immigrants who have been issued expulsion orders from French territory, noting that the presence of a French minister constantly making hostile statements towards Algeria will hinder this mission.

The former French minister pointed out that the close cooperation that existed between Algeria and France in the field of counter-terrorism has become fragile today due to verbal aggression, due to repeated French provocations, stressing that Algeria must be “a very important economic partner. Other countries have understood this, such as Italy, which has become Algeria’s primary partner instead of France, including in the field of gas supplies, thanks to dialogue based on respect and exchange with this country. Therefore, we must not listen to advocates of violence, chaos, destruction, and rupture.”

According to Ms. Ségolène Royal, “France’s interest lies in understanding with its neighbor Algeria, our neighbor on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, because we have a shared history, often painful, but we owe it to the young generations to take responsibility for reconciliation.”

The 2007 French presidential candidate also accompanied her audio recording with a tweet in which she attacked former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau by name, accusing him of being behind “the strategy of creating tension with Algeria,” a strategy she said contradicts the interests of France and its people.

In a statement to “Echourouk News” channel, Ms. Royal warned against the direct economic repercussions on the French economy if adventurers in France continue to attack Algeria, stressing that such practices have led to a decline in cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries.

Ms. Royal is considered one of the politicians affiliated with the left-wing current that stands opposite to the camp haunted by the anxieties of France’s brutal colonial past in Algeria. She played a role in easing tensions between the two countries at the beginning of this year, during her visit to Algeria at the end of last January, and strongly pushed for the French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, to carry out his visit to Algeria, which was on the verge of cancellation.