French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot is in Algiers on Sunday, at the invitation of the Algerian government, to plan ways to shore up bilateral relations which have been strained in recent months.
Barrot held talks with his counterpart Ahmed Attaf on Sunday morning before meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Ahead of the visit, Barrot said he hoped to establish "an ambitious work program" and to develop an "implementation schedule" on security, migration and economic issues, according to his office.
Barrot's visit comes on the back of a telephone conversation earlier this week in which French President Emmanuel Macron and Tebboune spoke of their willingness to repair relations.
Macron shifts to quiet diplomacy in bid to resolve Algeria crisis
They also said that "fluid" migration between the two countries should "immediately" be restored – seeking to soothe tensions after Algiers refused to accept the return of undocumented Algerian migrants from France.
A joint panel of historians plumbing the past between France and Algeria, its former colony that won independence in 1962 after a bloody eight-year conflict, will also get back to work, they said.
The two leaders also agreed in "principle" to meet in person at a future date, the statement said.
Jailed Algerian writer
During the call, Macron also called for "a gesture of mercy and humanity towards" jailed French-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal.
Macron has repeatedly called for Algeria to release Sansal, citing his fragile state of health due to cancer.
The author was sentenced last month to five years in prison after an interview he gave to a French far-right media outlet was deemed to undermine Algeria's territorial integrity.
French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal sentenced to five years in prison
Sansal's conviction and sentence further frayed ties between France and Algeria, already strained by migration issues and Macron's recognition last year of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which is claimed by the Algeria-backed pro-independence Polisario Front.
Known for his criticism of Algerian authorities as well of Islamists, Sansal found himself in the dock for saying in the interview that colonial-era France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria.
Cooperation
Tensions flared earlier this year when Algiers turned away Algerian influencers accused of inciting violence, who had been deported by France.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau also pointed an accusing finger at Algeria following an attack in France committed by an Algerian, subject to orders to leave the country that had been refused by Algiers.
With Franco-Algerian relations at an all-time low, can they get back on track?
But since Macron and Tebboune took matters into their own hands, there has been, according to Paris, a shared desire to return to a peaceful and balanced relationship "with a logic of results."
Tebboune said a week ago that he viewed Macron as the "only point of reference" for mending French-Algerian ties.
For Paris, the immediate resumption of cooperation between intelligence services in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, where Algeria borders Mali and Niger, and on the issue of the return of jihadists from Syria, is a priority.
On the economic front, Paris is concerned about the fate of 6,000 French companies established in Algeria.
For Algiers, the support Macron has provided in its negotiations with Brussels for a revision of its partnership with the European Union is very important.
The two parties are also expected to discuss in Algiers a reciprocal exemption agreement for diplomatic visas, following restrictions imposed by France in retaliation for Algiers' refusal to take back some of its nationals.
(with newswires)
