France and Algeria are progressing towards a “permanent renewable partnership,” stressed French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne who had met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during a two-day visit to the North African nation.
During her visit, 12 agreements were signed in the fields of industry, employment, and antiquities.
Observers believe that the visit signals the “beginning of the restoration of a relationship that has suffered greatly due to past grievances.”
According to Borne, the meeting of an intergovernmental committee, which was attended by 15 French ministers (some of whom signed several technical agreements), is a firm foundation for “a new dynamic and a sustainable cycle that will benefit our two peoples and their youth.”
Before meeting Tebboune, Borne inaugurated the Algerian-French Business Forum alongside her Algerian counterpart, Aymen Benabderrahmane.
At the event, Benabderrahmane called for “a sustainable dynamic” in trade with France based on “reciprocity and mutual interests.”
France and Algeria have identified focal points at the level of ministries to follow up on the implementation of the outcomes of the forum on a regular basis, he said.
Benabderrahmane added that Algeria must “end its dependence on natural gas and attract foreign investment” in agriculture, pharmaceutical and vaccine production, and renewable energy, which “offer positive prospects for French businesses.”
France is “the first investor in Algeria, excluding hydrocarbons,” Borne told the forum, adding that French businesses are “ready to support the diversification” of Algeria’s economy.
She called for relying on young people from both sides of the Mediterranean.
Borne considered the agreements that culminated in the meeting of the intergovernmental committee as “a strong signal to launch intensive relations of cooperation between the two countries.”
