Macron calls Bouteflika on the phone and schedules a visit to Algeria

France’s President Emmanuel Macron scheduled a visit to Algeria in the next few weeks. It will be the first visit of its kind since he took power last month.

The announcement came in a phone call made by Macron to his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika. They talked about a number of issues including the Libyan crisis and the situation in the Sahel region.

The two men confirmed their “common resolve to unify efforts to eradicate terrorism in the Sahel region,” said a release issued by the President’s Office.

“The talks represented an opportunity for the two presidents to confirm their desire to reinforce friendship and cooperation relations between Algeria and France,” it added.

The French President’s Office said Macron expressed his desire to build strong friendship relations with Algeria as it is a “strategic partner.”

Earlier in February, Macron paid a visit to Algeria as he had been ahead of his electoral campaign. He made unprecedented remarks about the French colonization in Algeria. He described it as a “crime against humanity” raising a large controversy in France.

A few days ago, Macron visited Morocco. This shows that the phone call was meant to reassure President Bouteflika about this visit which has not respected a French tradition since Bouteflika was in power, more than 18 years ago.

French presidents have been used to visit Algeria before any other country in the Arab Maghreb. Because of that, questions were raised about Macron’s visit to Morocco.