French Foreign Minister Speaks of “Initial Results” After Resuming Dialogue with Algeria

Less than a week after a tweet by Ségolène Royal, president of the “Algeria-France Association” and former Socialist candidate for the French presidential elections, criticising French President Emmanuel Macron’s stance towards Algeria, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot spoke of progress on some outstanding issues, most notably immigration.

In this regard, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the resumption of dialogue between Algeria and France “is bearing fruit in the areas of migration and security,” following several months of heightened tensions. He did not, however, address the other outstanding issues between the two countries concerning Algeria, most notably the French position on the Western Sahara conflict.

In an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP), published Tuesday, the French Foreign Minister emphasised the progress in relations with Algeria since the visit of French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez last February, during which he received a special welcome from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

When asked if there were any positive signs following the resumption of communication between Algeria and France, Jean-Noël Barrot replied that the resumption of “an important dialogue on migration and security with Algeria” was beginning to bear fruit, according to AFP.

He added: “The resumption of a demanding dialogue on migration and security with Algeria is producing initial results” since Interior Minister Laurent Nunez’s last visit to Algeria more than a month ago.

In this regard, he explained regarding security and counter-terrorism, and specifically concerning the deportation of Algerian citizens residing illegally in the country: “France was able to assert several expectations, particularly regarding the return to the border of Algerians in an irregular situation, since (…) in terms of security and the fight against terrorism, in terms of the return to the border of Algerian nationals, we need cooperation from the Algerian authorities.”

From his first hours at the helm of the Beauvau Hotel, Bruno Retailleau’s successor demonstrated a different approach from his predecessor. He criticised Retailleau’s handling of the immigration issue and advocated for calm dialogue instead of the iron-fisted policy the former Interior Minister had attempted to impose on Algeria, a policy that proved unsuccessful from the outset.

The Foreign Minister praised the efforts of his colleague in the government, Sébastien Lecornu, and stated that his department is working in coordination with Laurent Nuñez to liaise with Algerian diplomatic missions in France, which are authorised to issue consular permits for the deportation of Algerian nationals residing illegally in France, particularly those subject to deportation orders.

The French Foreign Minister was keen to emphasise the coordination with the French Interior Ministry regarding the deportation of Algerian nationals, to avoid a repeat of the failed experiment by former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. Retailleau’s attempt to impose a fait accompli was firmly resisted by Algerian authorities, who returned many deportees after French authorities were unable to obtain consular permits for them on the flights due to non-compliance with legal procedures.

The last contact between officials from the two countries dates back to the sixth of this month, when the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, initiated a phone call with his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf, after nearly a year of estrangement between the two ministers, caused by the interests of the former Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, who gave orders for the showy arrest of an Algerian consular employee in Paris, an incident that destroyed the rapprochement that was close at the time to restoring relations between the two countries.