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- The announcement of the official visit of French president, Emmanuel Macron, recently was generally well received by the Algiers, although the pangs of colonial rule still rue many
The announcement of the official visit of French president, Emmanuel Macron, recently was generally well received by the Algiers, although the pangs of colonial rule still rue many. Macron will visit Algeria from Thursday to Saturday this week. Algeria won its independence from France following a gruelling eight-year war. Signing of the Evian Accords in March 1962 signalled the end of the war.
French historians say half a million civilians and combatants died during the war. Of that more than 400,000 were Algerians. Algeria puts across the death toll of their people at 1.5 million during the war. Despite that, France did not offer any form of unequivocal apology for the colonial period till this time.
Presently, Algeria reels from devastating wildfires. French-Algerian ties hit a low late last year after Macron reportedly questioned whether Algeria had existed as a nation before the French invasion. Algeria withdrew its ambassador in response, but the two sides appear to have mended ties since.
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In the meantime, the Algerian presidency said the trip would contribute to deepening the bilateral relationship. There are speculations about what all subjects would come for discussions at the bilateral meetings. Macron is expected to flag how bilateral economic cooperation would help both the countries. While the French president would bring to the fore specific suggestions as to how both countries could help each other in the energy sector against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war. Algeria is expected to take up how French investment could be channelised to the North African country.
