Parts of the French right have in recent weeks rebelled against a statement by the French ambassador to Algeria, who spoke of “increasing” the number of visas issued to Algerians to 250,000 visas per year. Emmanuel Macron himself reacted to this with the assurance that France has “no quantitative goals” and “no weakness.”
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed in an interview on Monday, July 27, that he “never” requested a visa quota from France following a heated controversy caused by the French ambassador’s comments on the matter.
“I confirm this for the Algerians in front of our French friends: the Algerian president never asked for a quota of visas, the number of visas or talked about visas,” Abdelmadjid Tebboune told reporters, according to an excerpt released by the Algerian president.
He spoke days after his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron said this Wednesday that France had not set any “quantitative targets” for the number of visas issued to Algeria and was not showing “any weakness.” Thus, Emmanuel Macron wanted to “correct” the comments of the French ambassador to Algeria, Stéphane Romate, which caused a lively debate in France.
Lively debate
In a video interview broadcast by Tout sur l’Algérie (TSA) media, Stéphane Romate spoke of an “increase” in the number of visas issued to Algerians to “probably return” to the pre-crisis level between the two countries, i.e. 250,000 per year, which sparked an outcry from the right and far right in France.
Rassemblement National chairman Jordan Bardella condemned “capitulation” and Republican Party (LR) presidential candidate Bruno Retaillo as “abdication” as Paris tries to resume more peaceful relations with Algeria after a series of crises.
A deep crisis erupted in the summer of 2024 between France and Algeria when Paris supported an autonomy plan under “Moroccan sovereignty” for the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
“Algeria will never win”
Algeria, which supports the Polisario Front separatists, immediately recalled its ambassador to France.
“I never asked for an apology, I never asked for compensation, Algeria will never ask,” President Tebboune added in the interview.
Algeria demands “recognition (by France) of crimes committed in the country,” and not “financial compensation,” as the Algerian president has previously stated.
Last March, Algeria’s parliament approved a law criminalizing French colonization that no longer included the demands for an official apology or general reparations contained in the first version.
The text holds the French state “legally responsible for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it gave rise to.”