Between Paris and Algiers, the link has not yet been repaired. The visit to France by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, supposed to confirm the upturn between the two countries after a number of diplomatic crises, first planned for the beginning of May, had been postponed to June because of the demonstrations against the pension reform, but still has not taken place. It is “always maintained” declared the Algerian president on Saturday, but depends “on the program” of the Elysée.
“We are awaiting the program for this visit from the French presidency. It is still maintained, ”said the head of state during a television interview broadcast on Saturday evening. “We did not agree on the program for this visit. A State visit has conditions and must lead to results. This is not a tourist visit,” he added.
Successful visits to Russia, China and Italy
The atmosphere is all the fresher since since then, Abdelmadjid Tebboune went to Russia from June 13 to 17 where he was welcomed with great pomp by Vladimir Putin, Algiers and Moscow maintaining long-standing privileged relations. “Our visit to Russia has yielded concrete results,” said the Algerian president, adding that state visits to China, Italy or Portugal have also been crowned with success.
In Russia, in addition to the signing of a “declaration of deep strategic partnership”, which notably provides for the exchange of intelligence and information on “threats to national security”, eight other agreements in the areas of justice, telecommunications, agriculture, culture, water resources and space exploration for peaceful purposes, were signed.
The visit to France “must be based on a program on which the two countries agree (…) We can open new pages and close old ones”, continued Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He affirmed that the visit would take place when the presidency of the French Republic proposes a program worthy of a state visit. Asked in mid-June by the French television channel LCI about this visit, the head of French diplomacy Catherine Colonna replied: “I hope so, we are working on dates” but “they are not fixed”.