Ségolène Royal Laments The Loss Of French Interests In Algeria

The former socialist candidate for the French presidential elections and president of the “France-Algeria Association “, Ms.Ségolène Royal, criticized those responsible for creating an unnecessary diplomatic and political crisis with Algeria, as she observed the repercussions of the global energy crisis, caused by the Zionist-American aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, on her country.

In a “tweet” at the end of the week, which raised a series of questions about its timing and background, Ms. Ségolène Royal, a former minister, wrote: “Amid rising energy prices, the absurdity of the conflict with our gas-producing neighbors, like Algeria, becomes clear. Italy is turning to Algeria for support, while the National Rally and right-wing politicians, such as Retailleau and others, continue to attack Algeria.”

The former leader of the Socialist Party also held the resident of the Élysée Palace responsible for the tension characterizing bilateral relations, implicitly referring to his controversial stance on the Sahrawi issue, and wrote: “Emmanuel Macron suspended diplomatic relations without justification. Global chaos reminds us of a fundamental principle: coexistence with neighbors is the basis of peace and development.”

The French politician’s tweet came at a time when Algeria is preparing to receive the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, on an official visit this week, followed by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, in addition to talks about another visit by the Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, awaiting confirmation.

What unites the three guests expected by Algeria is that their countries meet many of their needs for Algerian gas. Italy and Spain are connected by pipelines transporting tens of billions of cubic meters of gas annually from Algeria, while France receives between 07 and 12 percent of its needs for Algerian gas in the form of liquefied gas via tankers, which makes it pay more compared to its Italian and Spanish neighbors.

Ms. Ségolène Royal’s “tweet” indicates that the strained situation in relations between Algeria and Paris has prevented France from confronting the energy crisis that has been sweeping the world, including France, for nearly a month, due to the  adverse repercussions of the Zionist-American aggression against Iran, which has led to soaring oil and gas prices. She also hinted that if relations were good between the two countries, France could have found a solution to the current energy crisis in Algerian gas today.