France put an end to the diplomatic crisis on Sunday with the Maghreb countries, announcing in Algiers a return to normal of the granting of visas to Algerian nationals, after those of Tunisia at the end of August and Morocco, Friday .
mo12345lemonde with AFP
France has taken up with Algeria a normal consular relationship, announces Gérald Darmanin. “Since last Monday, we have resumed (…) a normal consular relationship as it existed before the epidemic of COVVI-19, especially in visa relations,” announced the Minister of the Interior in A video posted on Sunday December 18 on his Twitter account his Algerian counterpart in Algeria.
In September 2021, France had decided to restrict the issuance of visas in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, in order to encourage these countries to make efforts in terms of cooperation and the fight against illegal immigration. The refusal rate had reached 30 % for Tunisia, and 50 % for Morocco and Algeria. By this visa reduction measure, Paris intended to put pressure on these countries so that they agree to welcome their expelled nationals from France.
Tunisia was the first country with which Paris has restored its consular relationship at the front level Covid. At the French Interior Ministry, we explained when Tunisia was the first of the three countries to have raised the health tests requested to be able to enter the territory. From the start, it was planned that the system for reducing the number of visas issued by France to nationals of three Maghreb countries could be revised according to the “efforts” accomplished.
normalization with Morocco on Friday
Friday, the head of French diplomacy, Catherine Colonna made the trip to Rabat to announce the normalization of the consular relationship with Morocco. And as for Algeria, with an application since “last Monday”. M Me colonna had come to prepare for the state visit of the French president Emmanuel Macron scheduled “in the first quarter of 2023”. She argued that France wanted to “be in an exemplary partnership relationship with Morocco, an exceptional, fraternal and modern partnership”.
It also insisted on the need to adapt to the “legitimate expectations” of Morocco which evolves and intends to play a major role in the Mediterranean and in Africa.
For his part, Gérald Darmanin argued that his interview with his Algerian counterpart was “important”, because, he said, “this allows France to continue to show its great desire for cooperation at the Following the exchanges which took place between the president [Abdelmadjid] Tebboune and the president [Emmanuel] Macron “. He cited “cooperation in terms of security, civil security” and more generally “exchanges between the two countries”. He praised an “extremely strong relationship” between Paris and Algiers.
Paris and Algiers had found the way to warming their relations during a trip to President Macron last August. The two heads of state had then signed a joint declaration with great fanfare on a revival of their cooperation. In October, it was French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, accompanied by fifteen ministers, who went to Algiers to seal the reconciliation between the two countries.