France: Jean-Noà “L Barrot offers a dialogue with Algiers to appease tensions

This January 16, 2025, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noã “L Barrot, spoke on RTL, affirming his availability to go to Algiers to dialogue with the Algerian authorities and tackle all bilateral subjects, beyond recent tensions.

Jean-Noã “L Barrot recalled that the two countries had every interest in overcoming their disputes, adding that measures would be defined in the coming days to restore cooperation deemed essential. The degradation of relations dates back to the recognition by France, last July, of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, followed by more recent events, in particular the imprisonment of the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in Algeria and the refusal of Algiers to welcome an Algerian influencer expelled from France. The tension reaches its paroxysm on January 9, when ALGER sent this influencer to France a few hours after his expulsion.

During his interview on RTL, Jean-Noã “L Barrot mentioned the attitude of the Algerian authorities in this file, while taking care not to fuel hostilities. Unlike Bruno Retailleau’s statements, who had accused Algeria of wanting “Humiliating France”, Barrot insisted on the importance of diplomacy and concrete solutions. “My role is not to put oil on the fire, but to solve the problems”he said.

The Minister also announced the upcoming attire of a ministerial meeting in France, under the aegis of the President and the Prime Minister, aimed at moving disputes between Paris and Algiers. This meeting will determine the actions necessary to restore solid bilateral relations, although no date has yet been set.

Finally, Jean-Noã “L Barrot confirmed that Boualem Sansal, recently hospitalized, had returned to detention in Algiers. He expressed his concern about the conditions of detention and the state of health of the writer, claiming that the subject remained a priority for France.