French Ambassador: “France hasn’t requested from Algeria compensation for Harkis’ nationalized property”

France’s Ambassador in Algeria, His Excellency Bernard Emié, has revealed that the number of visas to France granted to Algerian nationals settled in the eastern part of the country has witnessed a significant hike.

He said that the granting rate of such visas destined to Algerians living in eastern Algeria had increased by 35 per cent over the past months.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of his working visit to the city of Annaba in far-eastern Algeria, the French Ambassador reiterated his country’s will to further bolster relations with Algeria notably through a consolidation of cooperation ties and trade exchanges as never before.

This is illustrated, he said, by the French authorities’ decision to hike the number of visas to France to Algerian nationals in addition to easing the relevant procedures to secure this travel document.

In a separate file, Bernard Emié also said that France had not requested from Algeria any financial compensation with regard to the property left behind by the Harkis ( Black Feet) in Algeria in the wake of the country’s hard – won independence on July 5th 1962.

The latter’s property was nationalized after independence, and those who chose to remain in Algeria had to grapple with myriads of legal constraints, he added.

He further played down the importance of this issue saying it had been inflated by some French news media outlets for murky reasons, as he put it.

During his working visits to Constantine and Annaba, the French Ambassador met with local officials, members of the local civil society and French and Algerian business managers settled in the eastern part of Algeria.