French Warnings Against Escalation With Algeria
The President of the Algerian-French Chamber of Commerce, Michel Bisac, warned French politicians of the consequences of escalation with Algeria, and its negative impact on the French economy.
In remarks reported by France Info, Bisac called on French officials to stop their hostile statements toward Algeria.
For example, Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, called for the suspension of the 1968 agreement then his statements were followed by a fierce media attack on Algeria by the far right.
Michel Bisac described the French officials’ statements as “hysteria,” urging these parties to stop the hysteria: “Everyone is making their little statement about how we are going to fight against Algeria. We are in the most basic electoral interests,” recalling the negative economic consequences for France if the escalation continues.
Bisac reviewed the situation of the Renault Algeria plant in Oran, which used to assemble 60,000 cars before 2019, and has reached 3,000 over the past two years, describing the complete shutdown after experiencing major slowdowns.
“Renault has done what is necessary to comply with the new standards imposed by the Algerian government and therefore, they are awaiting authorization. French politicians should become aware of the reality of the relationship with Algeria,” Bisac explained.
The spokesman stressed that the tendency of French-Algerian relations towards escalation is not beneficial to Paris, given the great complexities surrounding these relations, adding that escalation from the French side will add more complications to trade relations between the two countries.
