The leaders of France and Algeria took an important step on Saturday toward mending relations scarred by disputes over migration and the legacy of colonial crimes, agreeing to cooperate on energy, security and reassessing their joint history.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up a three-day visit to Algeria with a raft of accords that France hopes will smooth ties with Africa's largest country, a major gas and oil supplier to Europe and an influential regional military player. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune hailed “a very successful visit" and credited Macron's personal efforts toward rapprochement. The two were chummy at their final meeting Saturday, smiling, embracing and holding hands. Tebboune specifically praised their meetings on security, without elaborating. But the joint accords released by Macron's office were thin on specifics, and stop far short of an official apology for France's colonial-era wrongdoing, which Algerians have long clamoured for. They included agreements on gas and hydrogen research, medical research, sports cooperation and a joint commission to examine archives from the 130 years when Algeria was the crown jewel in France's empire.