Heated Debate on Algeria in French Senate
The French Senate witnessed a heated debate on Algeria and the immigration file between the two countries, which took place last Thursday, between the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna and MPs of the Republican bloc (right wing).
During the debate, Senator Damien Rengnard for the Republicans came to call on his country’s authorities to take retaliatory measures against Algeria, by stopping granting visas to Algerian nationals wishing to enter French soil, in response to what was alleged to be a decision by Algeria to stop issuing consular licenses to clandestine migrants concerned with deportation from French soil, and an Algerian threat to stop granting visas to French wishing to visit Algeria, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement a few weeks ago categorically denying what was reported about that fake news.
The French senator uttered phrases that gave the impression that the Republicans refuse to refer the current ambassador to Paris, François Gouyet, to retirement, given the recently published decision, in the French Official Gazette, to benefit from the pension as of next August.
In this regard, he said, “The reforms that your ministry is carrying out are distancing the experienced diplomats, the real negotiators, and the builders of bridges between our two countries”.
For her part, the French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna, called on the Republican senators (right) not to fall into the trap of the parties that want to push relations with Algeria towards aggravation, and stressed that the bilateral relations knew a new ambitious dynamic since the visit of President Emmanuel Macron in August 2022, followed by the visit of Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin in December 2022 and another visit of the Algerian Army Chief of Staff which is the first of its kind in a long time.
The French diplomacy official confirmed that Paris will continue to work with the Algerian authorities to lift the recorded difficulties and deepen bilateral relations, which is in the interest of the two countries.
According to Colonna, Paris deals in this spirit concerning the issue of immigration between Algeria and France, considering that cooperation between the two countries is based on the granting of visas, especially professional groups, explaining that a joint workforce will further enhance mobility between the two countries, and also so that bilateral cooperation is harmonious in terms of the return of Algerians who are on French soil in an illegal situation to their country, as required by law.
