Alain Juppé: “We ought to make a difference between Islam and extremism”

The former French prime minister and mayor of Bordeaux, Alain Juppé, currently on a visit to Algeria, said that the heinous terrorist attacks that occurred in Paris last November 2015, killing more than 120 people and causing many injured, including Algerians, have shored up the active solidarity between states.

This was during a press conference after his visit to Oran, sister city of Bordeaux, in line with the treaty inked in 2003, that Alain Juppé made this statement, adding that despite hovering terrorist threats, the French State duly respects all religions and freedoms of everyone.

In addition, Alain Juppé referred to the long-running ties between the two peoples linked by a common history with some remaining traces of cultural heritage denoting the French presence during the colonization era, without forgetting to mention the great French presence in Algeria nowadays through the growing number of French companies operating in the country.

In this sense, he said that “Algeria is important partners for France” while laying particular emphasis on “the special relationship established between the two countries”, thus allowing them to “face the future with more optimism and more confidence”.

 “The distinguished guest of the Western capital of Algeria, who was accompanied by the Wali or Governor of Oran, Abdelghani Zaâlane, the President of the Oran Municipality Noureddine Boukhatem and France’s ambassador to Algeria, Bernard Emié, was also invited to attend the official naming ceremony of a new track of the Oran tramway to be named “Bordeaux, twin city”.

Mr Alain Juppé also paid a visit to Oran’s Basilica of Santa Cruz, currently under renovation, with an allocated budget of over 180 million Dinars, where he “welcomed the spirit of tolerance and understanding of the Algerian people”, believing that this positive spirit can be an inspiration in France which now witnesses “a tense climate where the lack of dialogue has spawned fears and aggressive acts.”