Macron travels to Algeria to leave disagreements behind

The trip is preceded by Mohamed VI’s announcement about the centrality of the Sahara in their bilateral relations

Aug. 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, begins a three-day visit to Algeria this Thursday with which he seeks, first of all, to leave behind the misunderstandings of recent times and forge a new relationship with an eye on the future, at a time when being on good terms with the North African country seems key in Europe given its energy potential.

The visit will be the second, after the one carried out in December 2017 a few months after starting his first term, and seeks “to contribute to deepen the bilateral relationship looking to the future for the benefit of the population of the two countries, strengthen Franco- Algeria in the face of regional challenges and continue the work of appeasing memory”, explained the Elysee after the conversation between Macron and the Algerian president, Abdelmayid Tebune, last Saturday.

The displacement of the French president occurs at a particularly relevant moment, in the first months of his second term and after this year the 60th anniversary of the Evian Agreements that put an end to more than seven years of war was celebrated in March against French forces and Algerian independence on July 5, 1962.

Likewise, the context caused by the war in Ukraine has also generated interest in Algeria, as one of the main gas exporting countries in the world. In this sense, there have been several leaders who have paraded through Algiers in recent months, including the acting Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, who agreed to an increase in gas exports for his country.

GAS, ON THE AGENDA

It is to be hoped that energy, given the interest of European countries in guaranteeing their supply and reducing their dependence on Russia, will figure among the topics to be discussed by Macron during his trip, in which he is accompanied by a vast delegation including some businessmen.

France receives Algerian gas through the Medgaz gas pipeline that connects the Maghreb country with Spain and is channeled via two gas pipelines from the Basque Country and Navarra. The French government has cooled Spain’s claim to recover the Midcat project, a gas pipeline between the two countries from Catalonia and which has the support of Germany, among others, which would allow more gas to reach Europe from the Peninsula.

In this energy puzzle there are other key pieces to take into account. In the first place, the rupture of diplomatic relations between Algeria and Morocco a year ago and the subsequent closure of the Maghreb-Europe (GME) gas pipeline, which channeled Algerian gas via Moroccan soil to Spain, in November.

Second, the diplomatic crisis between Spain and Algeria as a result of the decision of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to recognize the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara as “the most solid basis” for a solution to the conflict. Algiers recalled its ambassador in March and subsequently suspended the Friendship Treaty, in addition to blocking trade relations.

In the midst of this scenario, the Maghreb-Intelligence media has pointed out that Macron has on his agenda his intention to convince Algeria to hold a ‘mini-summit’ with Morocco, France and Spain in order to resolve all pending issues, if Although this information has not been officially confirmed and we will have to wait to see the results of the visit.

TENSE RELATIONSHIP WITH RABAT

However, the objective that Macron would have set does not seem easy, since the relationship between Paris and Rabat is not at its best, despite the fact that France has traditionally been the European country most aligned with the theses of the Alaouite kingdom. .

Proof of this is the message that Mohamed VI launched on Saturday and that the Moroccan press has interpreted as particularly directed at the French government. The monarch claimed once again in a speech to the nation the Moroccan nature of the Sahara, celebrating the fact that there are more and more countries that support the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat in 2007 for the former Spanish colony.

In this sense, Mohamed VI highlighted that the arrival of Joe Biden to the White House has not meant a reversal of Donald Trump’s decision to recognize the Sahara as Moroccan and highlighted the “clear and responsible position” of Spain after the shift carried out by Sánchez in March. Likewise, he celebrated that thirty countries have already opened a consulate in what Morocco defines as its southern provinces.

Thus, the Alaouite monarch took the opportunity to “transmit a clear message to everyone” and that the local press has interpreted that it is especially aimed at France, which, although it welcomes the autonomy plan, has not gone as far in its positioning as Spain. , something that seems to bother Rabat.

“The Sahara file constitutes the lens through which Morocco looks at the world, and it is the clear and simple criterion with which it measures the sincerity of friendships and the effectiveness of associations,” warned the Moroccan king, who spoke for the first time in public of the new stage in the bilateral relationship with Spain after the serious crisis caused by the reception of the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali.

On the other hand, the crisis between Spain and Algeria has not yet been left behind despite the conciliatory messages that the Spanish Government has made an effort to send to Algiers, assuring that they want to have the same good neighborly relations as there are with Rabat.

In spite of everything, and as the Government already announced from the outset, Algeria is complying with its gas supply contracts to Spain, which while it is looking for alternative suppliers and already has the United States as its main supplier, a position that the Maghreb country traditionally held .

FRANCE AND ALGERIA WANT TO TURN THE PAGE

Regardless of the regional situation and energy interests, Macron’s visit is highly relevant in terms of bilateral relations between the two countries. Macron’s arrival at the Elysee heralded a new stage in the relationship, after on a visit to Algiers while he was still a candidate he branded colonization a “crime against humanity”.

Already as president, he made other gestures and was in favor of not remaining anchored in the past and looking to the future. However, October 2021 marked a turning point, firstly due to the president’s decision to reduce the visas granted to Algeria by 50% due to the lack of cooperation in the repatriation of illegal immigrants.

Secondly, for his words criticizing the Algerian “political-military” system and questioning the existence of Algeria before colonization. In response, Algiers recalled his ambassador in Paris for consultations, who did not return until three months later, after Macron had expressed his regret for what had happened.

In recent months, the relationship seems to have returned to normal, so the visit of the French president would be the icing on the cake to crown this reconciliation and start a relationship with an eye on the future. Proof of this is that Macron is planning a meeting with young entrepreneurs in Algiers and another with young people in Oran.