Sellal: “We Will Duly Work With Any Elected French President”

Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said on Thursday that bilateral relations between Algeria and France have steadily improved since French President Francois Hollande’s state visit to Algeria, stressing that these relations won’t be affected by the upcoming change in leadership at the Elysée Palace and that Algeria duly respects the sovereign choice of the French people.

During a joint press conference held with his French counterpart at the Government Palace in Algiers, Mr. Sellal expressed satisfaction at the good quality of Algerian-French cooperation on regional and international issues of common concern related to peace and security, especially the fight against the scourges of terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Algeria’s defense doctrine is crystal-clear with no ANP soldier participating in any military action outside the Algerian borders.
During the extensive Algerian-French talks, which were  part of the working visit of French Prime Minister Mr. Bernard Cazeneuve to Algeria, Mr Sellal brought into focus Algeria’s will to pool the two countries’ efforts so as to address efficiently the various security challenges confronting the two countries.
He said that the political dialogue between the officials of the two countries was intense enough to coordinate positions on some international issues, especially the threats facing the region, adding that France is considered as the first investor in Algeria.
Mr. Sellal explained that the inferiority complex was overcome in the relations between the two countries and that a joint venture between French car-maker “Peugeot” and private customers would be established in Algeria in the very near future.
He pointed out that the setting up of the Peugeot car factory in Algeria is well on track despite some nagging hurdles.
He also stressed that all the problems that cropped up of late between the companies Sonatrach and French “Engie” have now been scrapped.
In this context, the Prime Minister emphasized that Algeria’s automobile assembling plants are a new experience and that the situation will be controlled. “We are in the process of evaluating the projects of the automobile assembling plants in Algeria,” he noted to this effect.
For his part, the visiting French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, affirmed that  France needs Algeria and Algeria needs France so as to build a potent economic partnership adding that the size of French investments in Algeria is equivalent to nearly 2 billion dollars as France is the first foreign investor in Algeria.
Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal on Thursday received his French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve on Wednesday as part of the latter’s two-day working visit to Algeria in the context of the existing tradition of regular consultations between the two friendly countries.
The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ramtane Lamamra, Minister of Industry and Mines Abdeslem Bouchouareb, Minister of the Interior and Local Assemblies, Noureddine Bedoui, Minister of Energy, Noureddine Bouterfa and Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments, Mohamed Aissa.
The two sides reviewed on the occasion the state of bilateral cooperation, which is characterized by a remarkable progress achieved in various social and economic fields and ways and means of shoring it up. They also exchanged views on topical regional and international issues of concern.