French Foreign Minister Avoids Commenting On His Statements In Morocco

After the rapprochement that characterized Algerian-French relations was disrupted by irresponsible statements from the Kingdom of Morocco, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, tried to mitigate the impact of those statements by defending the option of building bridges with Algeria, in a scene that confirms the state of confusion suffered by the French government in dealing with the Algerian issue, which has exhausted it.

The French Foreign Minister affirmed in press statements last Friday that he prefers to calm tensions with Algeria rather than be drawn into the voices calling for escalation, in reference to the statements of French right-wing and far-right figures who seek to restore the “balance of power” option in managing relations with Algeria.

Jean-Noël Barrot said that he “does not wish to be drawn into the state of conflict that some parties are seeking to fuel in France towards Algeria, and in Algeria towards France,” in the first statement by a French official speaking about the existence of non-governmental parties in Algeria that want to influence the official direction towards restoring calm in bilateral relations.

French President Emmanuel Macron had previously attacked those who want to cut bridges with Algeria, describing them in a previous statement as “madmen.”

Everyone agreed at the time that the Elysée Palace resident was targeting former Interior Minister and leader of the right-wing “Les Républicains” party, Bruno Retailleau, and the leaders and figures of the far-right “Rassemblement National” party, which was founded by one of the most prominent politicians who longed for “French Algeria,” represented by the deceased Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Although the French official did not name the party he was referring to in his statements, by referring to statements made a few days ago by the French ambassador returning to his country’s embassy in Algeria, Stéphane Romatet, it becomes clear that Jean-Noël Barrot was referring to newspaper articles published in French-language newspapers that strongly attacked Jean-Noël Barrot, following his provocative and irresponsible statements from the capital of the Moroccan regime, Rabat, about two weeks ago.

The head of French diplomacy indicated in the interview that he is keen to build the relationship between the two countries on tangible results instead of political and media escalation. He also stressed what he considered the priorities of the French government, which, according to him, include “combating drug trafficking and deporting Algerian citizens residing illegally on French territory,” in addition to resuming economic cooperation, and another highly sensitive issue, which is the case of the French journalist Christophe Gleizes, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence for his conviction in a case related to supporting and praising terrorism.

The French official clarified in this regard that the issue of the imprisoned journalist in Algeria will be raised during the scheduled discussions with Algerian officials. When asked about the iron-fisted policy adopted by Paris during the former Interior Minister’s tenure towards Algeria, he indicated that “the balance of power must always serve dialogue and not replace it.”

Jean-Noël Barrot defended his record, saying that since he took office at the Quai d’Orsay about a year and a half ago, he has managed to secure the release of 31 French citizens who were detained abroad, expressing his confidence in reaching a positive outcome regarding the French journalist.

The French Foreign Minister lacked the courage to answer a question regarding the repercussions of his provocative statements from Morocco on bilateral relations, as he replied: “But you know that some media outlets in France do not hesitate to criticize Algeria as well,” and expressed his refusal to be drawn into what he described as “the conflict that some parties seek to fuel, on the pretext that it harms French interests.”